An internal audit of several Airbus contracts after press allegations about a kickback scheme operated by the aircraft manufacturer has revealed no irregularities, Airbus parent company EADS said on April 03.
"An internal audit of Airbus sales campaigns confirmed compliance with both internal and international regulations and gave no indication of irregularities," EADS said in a statement.
The French press reported in late March that EADS had used a vast kickback scheme to secure orders in the United Arab Emirates and Libya.
Both EADS and the French police denied the reports. A report in French magazine L'Express claimed that 90 million dollars (68 million euros) had been transferred overseas in connection with aircraft sales in the two countries.
L'Express claimed that money had been funnelled through a Tunisian bank account during the sale of 40 A380 superjumbo jets to the UAE-based Emirates airline and during another sale of 32 Airbus planes to Libya.
EADS said in a statement the results of the audit had been noted by the company board meeting on Monday. Airbus has suffered a torrid 12 months owing to major production problems with its A380 superjumbo plane which is two years behind schedule.
The biggest client for the A380 is Emirates, which has ordered 43 of the 555-seat aircraft, the world's biggest civilian airliner.
Production problems have led to delays and Airbus slumped to an operating loss last year under the weight of increased manufacturing costs, compensation payments and restructuring.
On Monday EADS (the European Aeronautics Defence and Space Company) said that the operating profit of its defence arm was expected to increase by 50 million euros (66 million dollars) a year.
"We are becoming a pole of stability of EADS," the defence division's head Stefan Zoller said in Munich of a division which has caused the company concerns in the past.