Airbus Agrees To Pay Millions To Avoid Prosecution Over Corruption

Paris — Aircraft maker Airbus has reached an agreement with criminal authorities in France to make a payment of millions of euros in order to avoid possible prosecution on corruption charges in Libya and Kazakhstan. The Paris criminal court confirmed the agreement, which provides for the payment of €15.8 million ($16.4 million), the financial prosecutor's office said on Wednesday.

The possible corruption cases involved sales of aircraft, helicopters and satellites in Libya and Kazakhstan between 2006 and 2011. The cases emerged during investigations into corruption allegations for which Airbus had already paid a fine of nearly €2.1 billion in a 2020 settlement in France.

At the time, Airbus ended years of corruption investigations in three countries with an unprecedented billion-euro fine. Together, the European aircraft manufacturer paid €3.6 billion in France, the UK and the US.

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