SAAB and BAESystems accused for paying bribes!!

[Viggen]

Todays big news on TV is that SAAB and BAESystems has used secret agents to pay bribes worth several million swedish crowns, so they can sell Gripen easier to the Chez. However they wont buy any but lease 14 Gripens. Both companies repudiate the accusations. 

[Webmaster]

It's a lease-buy contract, 10 years of lease and then they are Czech.

BAE was also accused of bribes in the Saudi deal for Tornado and Hawks, but Saudi Arabia forced to stop the UK enquiry by threatning to cancel their Typhoon deal.

So what else is new? Didn't Saab accuse the Austrian authorities of unfair competition? What about the deal with Poland, the US was accused of unfair dealings?

Where are the accusations coming from by the way?

[Viggen]

Its the Brittish athureties that have requestet the Czech-police to investigate. Yesterday a swedish documentary aired in tv about Gripen,its in two parts. They captured on tape how a brittish employee from BAESystems scrutinize czech politicans. A czech senator admits on tape how she was promised some personal advantages if she votes for Gripen and how secret agents where hired to make the deal come through.

[Cobra2]

To vote for the Gripen? vote for what?

[Viggen]

The politicians vote if they want to buy the aircraft. So by offering them bribes, they can perhaps get a vote in favour of Gripen.

[Foxhound21]

man i wouldn't needed the bribe jejeje the only thing is that they have to let me fly one of them

[Globetrotter]

then it is a bribe what you want (be allowed to fly it)

[Viggen]

I belive this is a normal procedure, it just got caught on tape this time. Who knows what else is going on behind the scenes. Besides i dont blame SAAB or BAESystems for trying, its the politicians that accept the bribes that are the bad guys. 

[Gripen]

ergh how hard is it for people to just pick a plane, rather then having to be bribed or whatever?

[Viggen]

Because its about alot of money. In this case the amount was around 80 million euro, if i remember correctly. The "secret agent" gets 4% of this amount, if the deal goes through. This was the Czech biggest buy in their history and it was very important to get Gripen out on the market, to show it can compete with aircraft from Nato-countries.

[Foxhound21]

then it is a bribe what you want (be allowed to fly it)

no its a demand