Thales Under Investigation for Bribery and Corruption by UK and France

The Serious Fraud Office and Parquet National Financier are jointly probing the French defense giant over allegations tied to an arms deal in Asia.

The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and France’s Parquet National Financier (PNF) have launched a joint investigation into suspected bribery and corruption involving Thales.
The probe focuses on four Thales entities in the UK and France, with allegations linked to a foreign arms contract in Asia, including bribery of officials and money laundering.
The investigation follows raids on Thales offices in France, Spain, and the Netherlands earlier this year, conducted as part of broader corruption inquiries.
Thales, a key defense contractor for the UK government, recently supplied 650 Lightweight Multirole Missiles to Ukraine and secured a £1.8 billion contract to maintain the Royal Navy’s fleet.
Thales has denied the allegations and stated it is cooperating fully with authorities in both countries, while declining further comment due to the ongoing investigation.