Rejecting corruption allegations, French aerospace company Dassault Aviation on Thursday said that “no violations were reported, notably in the frame of the contract with India for the acquisition of 36 Rafales”.
French portal Mediapart had first reported that Rafale manufacturer Dassault Aviation paid one million euros to a controversial Indian middleman one year after the signing of the fighter jet deal with India.
Responding to media reports alleging corruption in the Rs 59,000-crore deal, a Dassault spokesperson said, “Numerous controls are carried out by official organizations, including the French Anti- Corruption Agency. No violations were reported, notably in the frame of the contract with India for the acquisition of 36 Rafales.”
The Rafale-maker also reiterates that it acts in strict compliance with the OECD Anti- Bribery Convention and national laws, in particular the law of December 9, 2016, known as Sapin 2.
It says, since the early 2000s, Dassault Aviation has implemented strict internal procedures to prevent corruption, guaranteeing the integrity, ethics, and reputation of the company in its industrial and commercial relations.
“In the context of the Sapin 2 law, the company has completed and strengthened its system for the prevention and detection of corruption and influence peddling, both at the level of the parent company and its subsidiaries,” the spokesperson said.
The contract with India for the acquisition of 36 Rafales has been established on a government-to-government basis, the company said.
This contract, as well as the offsets corresponding contract, meet the criteria established by these regulations and are being executed in full transparency between the various government and industrial partners, according to Dassault.
“The aircraft were delivered in respect of the schedule, despite the COVID-19 health crisis, and fully meet the security needs of the Indian authorities.
“Dassault Aviation and the Reliance Group established the Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) Joint Venture in 2017 and built a plant in Nagpur that has been producing numerous Falcon parts and pieces since 2018.”
“Dassault Aviation and its partners are working with 60 companies in India and negotiations are underway to establish potential new cooperation,” the spokesperson added.
