Paul Hastings Advises Airbus in Coordinated Resolutions with France, UK, and U.S. Investigating Authorities

January 31, 2020

Landmark agreement is the first simultaneous resolution with French, UK, and US authorities

Washington, D.C. – Paul Hastings LLP, a leading global law firm, has advised Airbus in a coordinated global resolution, reaching final agreements with the French Parquet National Financier (PNF), the U.K. Serious Fraud Office (SFO), and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) resolving the authorities' investigations into allegations of bribery and corruption, as well as with the U.S. Department of State (DoS) and the DOJ to resolve their investigations into inaccurate and misleading filings made with the DoS pursuant to the U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR).

The landmark global resolution is the first of its kind involving simultaneous resolutions among regulators in France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, including three deferred prosecution agreements, all without a guilty plea at any level and closes one of the largest ever FCPA cases.

Airbus received credit from the authorities for having reported violations and for its consistently strong cooperation during the investigations, leading to the following agreements:

Airbus has agreed to enter into a Convention Judiciaire d'Intérêt Public with the PNF. This agreement does not amount to an admission of liability. Under this agreement, the PNF has agreed to suspend prosecution of Airbus for a duration of three years. Prosecution will be discontinued if Airbus complies with the terms of the agreement throughout this period.
Airbus has agreed to enter into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with the SFO. This agreement does not amount to an admission of liability. Under this agreement, the SFO has agreed to suspend prosecution of Airbus for a duration of three years. Prosecution will be discontinued if Airbus complies with the terms of the agreement throughout this period.
Airbus has agreed to enter into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with the DOJ. Under this agreement, the DOJ has agreed to suspend prosecution of Airbus for a duration of three years. Prosecution will be discontinued if Airbus complies with the terms of the agreement throughout this period.
Airbus has agreed to enter into a Consent Agreement with the Department of State. Under this agreement, the DoS has agreed to settle all civil violations of the ITAR outlined in Airbus' voluntary disclosures identified in the Consent Agreement, and Airbus has agreed to retain an independent export control compliance officer, who will monitor the effectiveness of Airbus' export control systems and their compliance with the ITAR.

The Paul Hastings team that advised Airbus was led by partners Robert Luskin and Nathaniel Edmonds, and included of counsel Jennifer Riddle.

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