EADS因向沙特軍方進行可疑支付被調查
Senior EADS executives were alerted five years ago about questionable payments made to the Saudi Arabian military by a British subsidiary that supplies communications and surveillance equipment and is now the subject of a criminal probe by the UK's Serious Fraud Office.
歐洲航空防務與航天集團(EADS)的高管層五年前曾收到有關該集團旗下一家提供通訊和監控器材的英國子公司向沙特阿拉伯軍方進行可疑支付的提醒。英國嚴重欺詐辦公室（Serious Fraud Office，簡稱SFO）目前正在對此展開刑事調查。Mike Paterson, financial controller of the subsidiary, GPT Special Project Management, alerted his superiors about the payments as early as 2007, according to emails seen by the FT. He initially contacted GPT's managing director and the chief executive of Paradigm, GPT's parent and part of EADS's Astrium space division.
這家英國子公司名爲“GPT特別項目管理”（GPT Special Project Management，以下簡稱GPT）。英國《金融時報》見到的電子郵件顯示，GPT財務主管麥克•帕特森(Mike Paterson)早在2007年就向上級就可疑支付問題發出了警告。他最初聯繫了GPT的常務董事以及上級公司Paradigm的首席執行官。Paradigm是EADS下屬Astrium公司太空業務部門的一部分。His fears centred on unexplained payments to the Cayman Island BAnk accounts of Simec International and Duranton International, which totalled £11.5m between 2007 and 2009. Mr Paterson also queried the gift of four cars valued at £201,000 to members of the Saudi royal family and military – as well as a £278,000 payment for the rental of a villa owned by a Saudi National Guard general. The payments were part of a government-to-government programme in which GPT's payments were processed by the UK's Ministry of Defence.
帕特森的擔憂主要集中在GPT對Simec International和Duranton International在開曼羣島的銀行賬戶無法解釋的支付記錄上。2007年至2009年間，GPT對這兩家公司的支付總額達到1150萬英鎊。帕特森還對送給沙特王室及軍方的四輛總價20.1萬英鎊的汽車以及向沙特國民衛隊(Saudi National Guard)某將軍名下別墅支付的27.8萬英鎊租金提出質疑。這些支付是一個政府間項目的一部分，GPT的款項支付由英國國防部(Ministry of Defence)進行處理。
The MOD declined to comment. The Saudi National Guard, Simec International and Duranton International could not be reached for comment.
英國國防部拒絕了記者的置評請求。記者未能聯繫到沙特國民衛隊、Simec International以及Duranton International請其發表評論。When Mr Paterson first raised his concerns in 2007, the Saudi activities of defence contractors had sparked a contentious public debate in the UK. In 2006, then prime minister Tony Blair cited national security interests when he halted an SFO investigation into another government-to-government contract in Saudi Arabia involving BAE, the UK's largest defence contractor.
當帕特森在2007年首次提出自己的擔憂時，國防承包商們在沙特的活動曾在英國引發一場激烈的公衆爭論。2006年，時任英國首相的託尼•布萊爾(Tony Blair)以國家安全利益爲由停止了SFO對另一項在沙特履行的政府間合約的調查，英國第一大國防承包商英國宇航(BAE)牽涉其中。The US Department of Justice later fined BAE $400m and found it guilty of lying to the US government about its payments to contractors.
美國司法部(Department of Justice)後來對英國宇航罰款4億美元，並認定該公司向美國政府謊報了其對其他承包商的支付情況。By 2010 Mr Paterson had alerted Pedro Montoya, EADS's chief compliance officer, but felt he was still being ignored. In an email dated October 2010, Mr Paterson wrote: “I think Pedro Montoya now ignoring me is sufficient indication we are wasting our time internally. Our concern for EADS future seems to be greater than [EADS's] first line managers . . .I need to make a decision whether I persevere internally, whilst suffering mind numbing boredom, or whether I take the statutory directors actions to the authorities.”
帕特森在2010年以前就已向EADS首席合規官佩德羅•蒙託亞(Pedro Montoya)發出過警告，但感到自己仍被忽略。帕特森在一封2010年10月的電子郵件中寫道：“我認爲佩德羅•蒙託亞目前忽視我的提醒已經足夠說明通過組織內部途徑是在浪費時間，我們似乎比（EADS的）一線管理者們更擔心集團的未來發展……我必須決定是要一邊忍受着麻痹心智的無聊情緒、一邊繼續尋求公司內部解決，還是要履行法定職責向有關當局報告問題。After initially threatening to take the case to the SFO, in late 2010 Mr Paterson instead transferred to another role within GPT. But in December 2010 a senior GPT official, Ian Foxley, fled Saudi Arabia with evidence of his and Mr Paterson's concerns, which he presented to both Mr Montoya and the SFO.
在一開始揚言將向SFO報告情況之後，帕特森於2010年底被調到GPT的另一個崗位上。但一位GPT高管伊恩•福克斯利(Ian Foxley)於2010年12月帶着能夠證實他和帕特森擔憂的證據逃離了沙特，隨後他將證據分別交給了蒙託亞和SFO。EADS and its executives declined to comment on the emails, while the company said it was co-operating with the SFO. EADS launched an internal investigation in the middle of 2011, which is continuing.
EADS及其高管層拒絕就這些電子郵件發表評論，但該集團表示正在配合SFO調查。EADS於2011年年中啓動了內部調查，目前該調查仍在進行當中。
