The Airbus Group, one of the largest aerospace and defence corporations in the world, is investigated in Germany on corruption suspicions tied to contracts closed in Romania and Saudi Arabia, according to international media.

Several searches have been conducted by the German prosecutors in Munich at some local headquarters of the Airbus Group. Both the prosecutors and the Airbus Group (which is actually the former EADS) have confirmed that some searches were made in October and that there is an ongoing investigation, according to German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung, quoted by AFP.

The corruption suspicions are tied to EUR 3 billion worth of contracts closed with Saudi Arabia and Romania, in which Airbus supplied the two countries with equipment to secure their borders. The prosecutors in Munich are examining money transfers worth several millions of euros.

News of this investigation of the German authorities comes after both Romanian and German media wrote in October of an ongoing investigation of the Romanian Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) on the contract between the Romanian Government and EADS for the securing of Romania’s borders. The contract, which had a total value of EUR 734 million, was closed in late 2004, by Adrian Nastase’s cabinet.

Senior Romanian Government officials allegedly received some EUR 60 million in bribes to close the deal with EADS, according to local and German media.

Several former Romanian ministers are believed to be investigated in this case. Some of them are also investigated in the Microsoft licenses case, according to DNA’s chief.

editor@romania-insider.com