Leonardo SpA, previously called Finmeccanica, one of the top ten largest defence companies on the planet, and partly owned by the Italian state, has over the past decade been embroiled in multiple corruption scandals around the world. This report covers the most egregious of those scandals and recommends action by multiple actors to deal with these issues.
Corruption Watch UK, has, over the last three years, investigated and tracked these corruption scandals engulfing the company across the world. Our research reveals a perplexing lack of any formal investigations by UK authorities into the UK actors involved in the corruption allegations against Leonardo, specifically Leonardo’s UK subsidiaries. This lack of formal investigation raises serious questions about the UK’s commitment to ensuring that UK actors are held to account for their role in alleged global bribery schemes.
Read the report in Italian (published in conjunction with Re:Common and Rete Disarmo)
Read a short summary of the Report and our recommendations
Read the full responses to the report from Leonardo, Geoff Hoon and Christian Michel
Media Coverage
English Media Coverage
Geoff Hoon Accused of Directing Illegal Lobbying – The Guardian – 6 June 2018
Other Countries Tackle Claims of Arms Trade Corruption. Why Not the UK? – Guardian – 8 June 2018
Serious Fraud Office Urged to Step in Over Leonardo Claims – The Telegraph – 9 June 2018
AgustaWestland Agent Held in UAE Refuses to Join Probe – Economic Times (India) – 21 June 2018
UK Stance on Arms Exports Protects Corrupt Practices, Experts Claim – The Guardian – 19 July 2018