LONDON, Jan 31 — Airbus, the world’s largest aircraft maker, will pay just under €1 billion (RM4.3 billion)in a British settlement to draw a line under a three-and-a-half year criminal investigation into allegations of fraud, bribery and corruption.

The deal under a three-year Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA), ratified in London’s High Court today, means the European planemaker avoids prosecution in London in a case that spanned transactions involving more than a dozen countries.

UK prosecutors said Airbus failed to prevent individuals associated with the company from bribery involving Malaysia’s AirAsia and AirAsia X, SriLankan Airlines, Taiwan’s TransAsia Airways, Garuda Indonesia and Citilink Indonesia. They said the case also involved the sale of military aircraft to Ghana.

Earlier today France’s prosecutor said the plane maker would pay a total of €3.592 billion in global corruption fines once settlements are reached. — Reuters