Two arrested in Rolls-Royce bribery probe
TWO MEN were arrested yesterday after the Serious Fraud Office co-ordinated raids across London as part of its investigation into Rolls-Royce.
The fraud squad, which opened a criminal probe into claims of bribery and corruption at Rolls-Royce in December, confirmed the property searches and the arrests.
The National Crime agency and the City of London police were also part of the operation.
Rolls-Royce, which is due to publish full-year results today, declined to comment yesterday.
The arrests come months after the SFO was granted several million pounds in so-called blockbuster funding from the Treasury to help investigate the engineering giant.
Rolls-Royce said in late 2012 that it had given details of possible bribery and corruption relating to contracts in China, Indonesia and other overseas markets to the SFO. The handover followed an internal probe carried out by law firm Debevoise & Plimpton at the request of the watchdog.
The investigation began after a former employee blew the whistle, alleging bribery in Indonesia dating back around 20 years.
In January 2013, Rolls-Royce hired former solicitor and conservative peer Lord Gold to review its compliance procedures.