WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Justice Department on Friday asked a U.S. judge to dismiss a 2020 criminal case against European planemaker 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 planemaker paid about $4 billion worldwide including about $582 million in U.S. 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 United States and European Union – a massive blow for a major defense 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 program.
Airbus did not immediately comment on Friday.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Conor Humphries)
