{"id":207846,"date":"2020-02-01T12:33:23","date_gmt":"2020-02-01T07:03:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=207846"},"modified":"2020-02-01T12:33:23","modified_gmt":"2020-02-01T07:03:23","slug":"airbus-paid-bribes-to-secure-a350-deal-sri-lanka-must-demand-compensation-tisl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/airbus-paid-bribes-to-secure-a350-deal-sri-lanka-must-demand-compensation-tisl\/","title":{"rendered":"Airbus Paid Bribes To Secure A350 Deal; Sri Lanka Must Demand Compensation: TISL"},"content":{"rendered":"

As aircraft manufacturer Airbus reached\u00a0a\u00a0record\u00a03.6 Billion Euro settlement with US, UK and French authorities following a\u00a04 year\u00a0investigation into allegations of bribery and corruption, Transparency International Sri Lanka wishes to highlight the importance of paying compensation to the countries who are the victims of corrupt deals\u00a0involving Airbus.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The statement of facts issued on 31 January 2020 as part of the Deferred Prosecution Agreement reached between Airbus and the prosecuting authorities, indicates that Airbus had agreed to pay out a sum of 16.84 Million US dollars (Rs. 2.5 bn [2015]) to influence the aircraft purchase, to a company registered in Brunei under the wife of an executive at SriLankan Airlines. Furthermore, the statement reads that Airbus had paid out a sum of 2 Million US dollars of the agreed amount to the company.<\/p>\n

TISL Executive Director Asoka Obeyesekere said, \u201cIt is important to recall that the fallout from this deal\u00a0is widely reported to have cost\u00a0in excess of 17 billion rupees\u00a0(USD 116mn [2015])\u00a0in cancellation\u00a0penalties. Given that the evidence now shows that corruption was involved in the procurement process, it is imperative that\u00a0action is taken both internationally and locally to ensure that Airbus\u00a0and its agents\u00a0are\u00a0held accountable\u00a0for losses inflicted on\u00a0Sri Lanka.\u201d<\/p>\n

Obeyesekere added, \u201cThe settlement reached between Airbus and prosecuting authorities in the US, UK and France should by no means be interpreted as a clean slate. The actions of Airbus and its agents as far as Sri Lanka is concerned is emblematic of corrupt and exploitative business practices which prey on the vulnerable.\u201d<\/p>\n

TISL had previously highlighted this issue in a\u00a0letter addressed to the Presidential Commission of Inquiry<\/a>\u00a0into Allegations of Large-Scale Fraud & Malpractice in SriLankan Airlines. The letter dated August 2018 was accompanied by a\u00a0report compiled by Corruption Watch UK<\/a>,\u00a0detailing potentially corrupt deals involving Airbus and several other airlines\u00a0and\u00a0a\u00a0letter co-signed by TISL<\/a>\u00a0along with Civil\u00a0Society\u00a0Organisations\u00a0(CSOs)\u00a0from France, Indonesia, Tunisia, the UK and the US. This letter dated June 2018 was addressed to the Serious Frauds Office in the UK, the Parquet National Financier in France, the US Department of Justice and the\u00a0Organisation\u00a0for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).<\/p>\n

Key among the recommendations made by the CSOs was that countries where it is proven that Airbus or its agents have paid bribes, are fully compensated for harm caused. Whilst court approval was granted in the UK today for the Deferred Prosecution Agreement with Airbus, Sri Lankan authorities must take this opportunity to hold to account those responsible, both domestic and foreign,\u00a0for the\u00a0significant\u00a0losses inflicted on the\u00a0Sri Lankan\u00a0public. (TISL)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Read the statement of facts here<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

To read more about A350 click here<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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