The European aircraft manufacturer Airbus has agreed to a settlement of 3.6 billion euros in a bribery case. That made justice in France known. With the fine, the aviation group buys get away ticket from further prosecution.
Airbus settles with prosecutors in France, the United Kingdom and the United States. Those countries accuse the company of having paid bribes through intermediaries in 16 countries to win aircraft contracts. The Public Prosecutor of France states that Airbus has illegally boosted its profit of more than 1 billion euros.
The fine, for which Airbus already made a provision earlier this week, was announced at a session where a French judge had to give his approval for the fine. The settlement is considered one of the largest ever in a bribery case. However, further prosecution could cost Airbus more, because the company could then be excluded from lucrative public procurement in the US and the European Union.