Defence giant faces bribery charges
By politics.co.uk staff
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is likely to announce today that it will consider prosecuting BAE Systems for alleged bribery following a long standing investigation.
The charges are expected to relate to contracts with countries including South Africa, Tanzania, Romania and the Czech Republic.
The company allegedly paid out millions of pounds to win the contracts.
A BAE spokesman said the firm was cooperating with the regulators and “providing access to people, information and premises whenever requested”.
A final decision on whether to bring criminal charges under the 2001 Prevention of Corruption Act will be taken by the Attorney General Baroness Scotland in the next few weeks.
If the case goes ahead, the UK’s largest manufacturer is likely to face a fine of up to £1 billion.
