Reuters Staff
SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 / 12:03 AM
VIENNA (Reuters) - A parliamentary inquiry into Austria’s
$2 billion Eurofighter deal found no indications of bribery or that Airbus
(AIR.PA) and its partners illegally influenced Austrian politicians, according
to the final report on the matter.
Lawmakers launched their inquiry in March to check
whether politicians might have accepted bribes from the makers of Eurofighter
to approve the deal.
Vienna prosecutors are pursuing a separate investigation
into allegations of fraud against Airbus and the Eurofighter consortium BAES.l
based on earlier complaints from the defense ministry, which is seeking up to
1.1 billion euros in compensation.
Airbus and the consortium, which includes Britain’s BAE
Systems (BAES.L) and Italy’s Leonardo (LDOF.MI), rejected the accusations as
politically motivated and, on Monday, threatened Austria’s defense minister
with legal action.
Allegations that decision-makers pocketed money for their
approval of the Eurofighter deal surfaced almost immediately after the original
purchase was agreed in 2003.
Legislators investigated a settlement Austria reached
with Eurofighter in 2007 to reduce the order to 15 jets from 18 as well as the
volume of so-called offset deals meant to provide business for the local
economy to 3.5 billion euros ($4.2 billion) from 4 billion. MPs said they did
not have enough time to clarify the circumstances of the initial order.
Former Defence Minister Norbert Darabos, a Social
Democrat who negotiated the settlement with Eurofighter, was one of the
politicians strongly criticized for allegedly having allowed Airbus to outwit
him.
But the parliamentary report said no indications were
found “that there would have been unacceptable influence on Darabos and his
entourage in the context of the settlement negotiations”.
Airbus declined comment on the report.
It was not immediately clear if the report would have any
impact on the separate criminal investigation.
“A parliamentary inquiry is no substitute for the
prosecutor and not a criminal court, but it can deliver valuable hints for the
prosecutor’s investigation,” said Karlheinz Kopf, who chaired the lawmakers’
inquiry.
While dismissing bribery allegations, the report also
repeated a Defence Ministry complaint that the Alpine republic appeared to have
been “deceived” regarding its partners’ ability to deliver certain jets as
initially agreed.
It also highlighted findings from a decade ago that
Airbus had provided millions of euros in sponsorship money in connection with
the Eurofighter deal to a soccer club that is seen as close to Austria’s Social
Democrats.
The parliamentary report further assessed that Darabos
did not liaise sufficiently with other ministries and agencies while
negotiating the settlement and was not transparent enough to allow a court
audit of the deal.
The legislators wound up their investigation earlier than
planned because Austria called snap elections for Oct. 15, a year ahead of
schedule. Airbus has clashed with other European governments, notably Germany,
before, but the row with Austria is unique in its fury.
The defense ministry said this week said it was open to
an out-of-court settlement with Airbus and the consortium. But if no agreement
were possible, it would also consider filing a lawsuit based on U.S. rules.
Reporting by Kirsti Knolle; editing by Mark Heinrich
Original post: reuters.com
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