Airbus £830m settlement over UK bribery prosecution approved by High Court

The figure is the largest ever for a Deferred Prosecution Agreement and amounts to more than all previous similar settlements combined.

Airbus will pay £830 million to end a UK investigation into corruption offences in a deal approved at the High Court in London.

The aircraft manufacturer faced five charges under the Bribery Act in relation to allegations it failed to prevent firms being offered financial incentives to buy planes and other equipment.

But an agreement for the prosecution to be deferred, reached between Airbus and the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), was approved by President of the Queen’s Bench Division, Dame Victoria Sharp, on Friday.

£830 million
Amount to be paid by Airbus

Dame Victoria said in a written ruling that the criminality involved was “grave” and took place over many years, extending into every continent in which Airbus operates.

She said the agreement reached included a significant financial penalty, which would send an “important deterrent message to corporate wrongdoers”.

The judge added: “By entering into the Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA), the SFO avoids the significant expenditure in time and money inherent in any prosecution of Airbus, and it can use its limited resources in other important work.

“The DPA is likely to provide an incentive for the exposure and self-reporting of organisations in similar situations to Airbus.

“As the SFO submits, this is of vital importance in the context of complex corporate crime.”