BAE in £450m Saudi Arabia Typhoon deal
Defence giant BAE Systems is this week expected to reveal it has won a maintenance and support contract for its Typhoon fighter jet for the Saudi Royal Air Force.
Take off: The contract is a relief for under-fire company BAE Systems
It is thought the three-year deal could be worth as much as the £450m contract BAE won from the Ministry of Defence for Typhoon support in March.
The agreement will include training in the UK for all Saudi Typhoon pilots, as well as training for all the desert kingdom's technicians involved with the jet.
It comes as the Serious Fraud Office has turned up the heat on BAE by beefing up its corruption probe team with the appointment of hot- shot criminal lawyer Timothy Langdale QC. BAE faces prosecution by the SFO over claims it bribed overseas officials to win lucrative weapons deals.
Langdale has been drafted in to help the SFO prepare its dossier of evidence before submitting it to the attorney general, Baroness Scotland, within three weeks. She will then decide whether or not to pursue the case.
It is understood the SFO has pulled 30 staff from other investigations to speed up the process.
Langdale's appointment will help to augment the SFO's in-house legal team, led by senior counsel Vivian Robinson QC, who was recruited about a year ago. The SFO has been investigating claims that BAE paid out millions of pounds to win contracts in Tanzania, the Czech Republic and South Africa.
BAE is also being investigated by the US Department of Justice over claims it bribed Saudi officials to win the £45bn Al-Yamamah arms deal.
It is thought the SFO is also considering whether to help the DoJ broaden its inquiry into BAE.
The strategy is seen as being aimed at forcing BAE to accept a plea bargain, whereby the group admits wrongdoing and agrees to pay a substantial penalty.
BAE has always denied any wrongdoing and said it continues to help the authorities with their investigations.
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