THE TELEGRAPH: A senior BAE Systems executive has been arrested and questioned by the Serious Fraud Office over suspected bribery to win lucrative arms contracts, it has been reported.
Julian Scopes, the company's former head of government affairs, was interviewed by SFO officers at Guildford police station on Sunday, according to the Financial Times.
Alfons Mensdorff-Pouilly, a Viennese count who worked as a consultant for BAE, was arrested, questioned and bailed by investigators on the same day, having been intercepted en route from Vienna to his Scottish mansion. His lawyer told the FT he denies any wrongdoing.
Mr Scopes declined to comment, the FT reported, adding that the SFO said a 55-year-old man was arrested and interviewed on suspicion of corruption before being released on police bail to appear next year.
Mr Scopes, 55, who is also a former private secretary to the late defence minister Alan Clark, worked at the Ministry of Defence for more than 20 years before joining BAE Systems.
After taking up the role of head of government affairs, he was responsible for smoothing out dealings between the company and the MoD and other government bodies. He was made head of the company's Indian operation last month.
The interviews came as part of an international investigation into suspected bribes of high-level officials in countries including Austria and the Czech Republic. Officers raided a number of properties in Britain, Austria and Hungary last month. >>> By Jon Swaine | October 23, 2008
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