Finmeccanica offices searched in Rome
Aerospace giant probed in giant bribes scandal
12 February, 18:41
(ANSA) - Rome, February 12 - The Rome offices of Italian
defence and aerospace giant Finmeccanica were searched by
investigators on Monday in relation to a probe into
international corruption.Earlier in the day, Finmeccanica CEO Giuseppe Orsi was arrested, suspected of involvement in the payment of bribes regarding the sale to the Indian government of 12 helicopters produced by Finmeccanica's subsidiary AgustaWestland.
Orsi was at the helm of AgustaWestland in 2010 when it won the contract to supply the helicopters.
The CEO, who had known he was under investigation over the case for months, denied any wrongdoing before his arrest and said he would only resign his post if asked to do so by the Italian government.
Prosecutors suspect around 50 million euros of the over-500-million-euro deal were ploughed back into kickbacks to ensure AgustaWestland won the contract.
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