WASHINGTON: The Justice Department today asked a US judge to dismiss a 2020 criminal case against European plane maker Airbus after more than three years.
A 2020 deferred prosecution agreement resolved an investigation into charges Airbus violated anti-bribery laws and export controls. The plane maker paid about US$4 billion worldwide, including about US$582 million in US penalties.
The deal, effectively a corporate plea bargain, meant Airbus avoided criminal prosecution that would have risked it being barred from public contracts in the US and European Union – a massive blow for a major defence and space supplier – as long as it abided by the agreement for three years.
Under the deal, Airbus agreed to continue to cooperate with the department in any ongoing investigations and prosecutions relating to the conduct and to enhance its compliance programme.
Airbus did not immediately comment today.
