Police in three countries searched the offices of French defense company Thales this week over suspected corruption involving arms sales abroad, notably to Brazil, a judicial source said Saturday.
Officers in France, the Netherlands and Spain carried out the searches between Wednesday and Friday, the source told AFP, confirming a report from French broadcaster BFMTV.
The police searches were triggered by two separate investigations, said the source.
The first, opened at the end of 2016, into suspected corruption of a foreign official, criminal association and money laundering, involved the sale of submarines and the construction of a naval base in Brazil.
The second, opened in June 2023, concerned similar offenses linked to the sale of military and civilian equipment abroad, the source added.
Thales and its lawyer, contacted for comment, have so far not responded.
With AFP
