UK and France open bribery and corruption probe into French defense firm Thales

LONDON — British and French authorities have opened a probe into France-based defense group Thales for suspected bribery and corruption.

In a statement Thursday, Britain's Serious Fraud Office said it hoped the joint probe with France's Parquet National Financier will further reinforce their cooperation against international corruption.

“Working collaboratively with our international partners is a crucial factor in the fight against international corruption and with this case I hope to reinforce the SFO and PNF’s long-standing relationship, built on mutual cooperation and shared success," said Nick Ephgrave, director of the Serious Fraud Office. “We will together rigorously pursue every avenue in our investigation into these serious allegations.”

The SFO did not detail the exact allegations, but reports have said that police in France, the Netherlands and Spain searched the company’s offices in June, over suspicions of corruption linked to arms sales abroad.

Thales is a key defense contractor, with many of its products sent to support Ukraine in fighting Russia's full-scale invasion after February 2022.