UK defence firm Thales facing bribery and corruption probe

The Thales Group is headquartered in Paris and its subsidiary Thales UK employs over 7,000 staff in the UK across 16 sites.  

Investigators from the SFO and French authority Parquet National Financier (PNF) have informed the company of the investigation.   

The SFO and PNF are conducting a joint investigation in their respective jurisdictions.     

It comes after police in France, the Netherlands and Spain searched its offices in June over suspicions of corruption linked to arms sales abroad, according to reports.

Director of the Serious Fraud Office, Nick Ephgrave QPM, said:    

“Working collaboratively with our international partners is a crucial factor in the fight against international corruption and with this case I hope to reinforce the SFO and PNF’s long-standing relationship, built on mutual cooperation and shared success. 

“We will together rigorously pursue every avenue in our investigation into these serious allegations.”