TI France reacts to the accusations of corruption regarding Thales

On September 26, 2005 the Board of Directors of Transparency International France (TI France), the French chapter of the global anti-corruption network, took notice of an article published in the journal Le Monde, which raised questions about the French company THALES.

If allegations regarding systematic corruption within THALES are proven to be accurate, it would be an extremely serious situation, which TI France would strongly denounce and such facts could only call for strong sanctions against the protagonists.

For years, TI has warned of the particular corruption risks in the construction and defence sectors (see TI’s Global Corruption Report 2005 at www.globalcorruptionreport.org). The organisation proposes innovative solutions like the “Business Principles for Countering Bribery” which it has developed or the “Integrity Pacts” within the framework of public markets.

THALES has been a member of TI France since 2002. The Board of Directors of TI France has decided to consult immediately with its Ethics Advisor, M. Jean-François Burgelin, former Attorney General of the Cour de Cassation, on what the relationship between the organisation and a company that has been accused of corruption should be. As a precaution, the Board has decided to suspend THALES’ participation in the organisation.

By joining our organisation, individuals in charge of a company commit themselves to the fight against corruption. Should it emerge that the THALES management has indeed committed such serious lapses, this would represent a breach of the commitments previously made by the company.