Airbus and MOD face bribery allegations

Airbus and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) are facing serious allegations surrounding their involvement in a multi-million-pound bribery scheme linked to senior Saudi officials. The accusations will be examined next week when the High Court hears an application to dismiss the whistleblower case brought forth by retired Royal Signals officer Lt Col Ian Foxley against the MOD, the Department for Business and Trade, and Airbus, along with one of its subsidiaries. The proceedings are scheduled for Monday, 16 March to Wednesday, 18 March, during which the MOD and Airbus will argue that Lt Col Foxley’s claim is time-barred. However, Lt Col Foxley contends that the basis of that argument is fundamentally flawed, asserting that critical facts were deliberately concealed from him as well as the public for years.

In 2010, Lt Col Foxley questioned payments associated with the MOD's SANGCOM defence communications project in Saudi Arabia. Subsequently, he was dismissed from his position and felt compelled to escape Saudi Arabia due to safety concerns. Airbus' subsidiary GPT (Special Project Management) Limited pleaded guilty to making substantial bribes related to the SANGCOM project in 2021. Justice Bryan acknowledged in his Sentencing Remarks that key beneficiaries of these bribes included HRH Prince Mit'eb bin Abdullah bin Abdulaziz and other high-ranking Saudi officials. He noted that GPT had destroyed evidence in efforts to conceal this corruption while the UK Government was found to have tacitly enabled these corrupt activities.

For over a decade, Airbus has distanced itself from any wrongdoing by GPT. However, new evidence stemming from the recent criminal trial of two individuals involved in the SANGCOM project has led Lt Col Foxley to allege that Airbus was aware of and condoned these corrupt payments since acquiring GPT. Furthermore, documents uncovered during the legal proceedings indicate that the MOD withheld information regarding the Government’s complicity in the corruption, particularly during a 2014 investigation by a Private Eye journalist.

As Airbus seeks to secure a lucrative multi-billion-pound contract related to the UK’s SKYNET 6 military satellite communications, Lt Col Foxley raises critical questions for both the Government and the public regarding the implications of awarding defence contracts to an entity facing such grave accusations. Solicitor Paul Dowling, representing Lt Col Foxley, commented "It is quite astonishing that the Government and Airbus are arguing that our client has brought his claim too late, in circumstances where, we will argue, they have concealed their role in this corruption for years. The documents that have recently been made available to our client about Airbus’ role in this scheme paint a very different picture to that which Airbus has portrayed to date, and, our client believes, raise serious questions about whether the Government should be awarding future defence procurement contracts to Airbus."

The High Court's consideration of this case is poised to bring to light significant implications regarding corruption in defence procurement processes. The hearing date is set for Monday, 16 March to Wednesday, 18 March 2026.