SFO launches criminal investigation into British aircraft parts supplier
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has launched a criminal investigation into a British aircraft parts supplier over suspected fraud.
The SFO along with officers from the National Crime Agency today raided the office of AOG Technics in London and arrested an unnamed individual, who is currently being questioned, the agency said.
AOG Technics, which is headquartered in the capital, supplies parts for passenger and cargo aircraft engines around the world.
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency all issued alerts earlier this year to businesses who may have bought or installed AOG’s parts “to manage the safety implications” related to the matter, the SFO said.
The SFO said it was working closely with the regulators to examine the information it has obtained as it decides whether there are grounds for prosecution.
Nick Ephgrave , director of the SFO, said: “This investigation deals with very serious allegations of fraud involving the supply of aircraft parts, the consequences of which are potentially far reaching.”
“The SFO is best placed to take this investigation forward vigorously and we are determined to establish the facts as swiftly as possible,” he added.
AOG Technics was contacted for comment.
This is the third new investigation the SFO has launched since Ephgrave took over as the head of the agency in September, including launching a major fraud probe into the collapse of law firm Axiom Ince last month.