Several EADSoffices in Germany were raided by German state prosecutors and police on Tuesday as part of an investigation into alleged bribes paid to smooth the sale of Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets to Austria five years ago.
The raids deepen the legal troubles of the European aerospace group, which already faces a criminal probe by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office into whether its UK subsidiary, GPT Special Projects, bribed Saudi officials over a project to supply the kingdom with military communications equipment.
The Munich prosecutor’s office said the investigation had been prompted by a larger one in Austria about the possible payment of bribes to Austrian officials between 2005 and 2008. “We are now looking into the question of whether German residents broke German law by bribing officials in Austria.”