Searches were carried out between Wednesday and Friday at the headquarters of various Thales group companies in France, the Netherlands and Spain, as part of two preliminary investigations into alleged corruption and influence peddling by foreign public officials, judicial sources said on Saturday.

Thales confirmed that searches had taken place, but gave no further details. The French aerospace, defense and security equipment supplier added that it was cooperating with the authorities.

According to the judicial source, who confirmed information from BFMTV, the first investigation opened at the end of 2016 concerns the sale of submarines and the construction of a naval base in Brazil, while the second opened in June 2023 relates to various operations involving the sale of military and civilian equipment abroad.

The investigations also concern alleged private corruption, criminal conspiracy and the laundering of these offenses, the source added.

"Thales recalls that it strictly complies with national and international regulations. The company has developed and implemented a global compliance program to which it adheres and which meets the highest industry standards," said a company spokeswoman.

(Benjamin Mallet and Juliette Jabkhiro report)