Court: Swiss Can Hand Over BAE Bank Files

BELLINZONA, Switzerland (AP) -- Switzerland can hand over bank documents to British authorities investigating whether arms manufacturer BAE Systems PLC bribed Czech politicians to gain a lucrative contract for the sale of fighter jets, the Federal Criminal Court said Monday.

The court rejected appeals by a company and a Geneva-based lawyer, who had sought to stop the transfer of bank documents to Britain. In line with Swiss privacy laws, the court identified neither the lawyer nor the company in its ruling.

BAE, Europe's largest defense contractor, is the subject of corruption investigations in several countries, including whether it paid Czech officials to support the purchase of Swedish Gripen fighter jets.

Britain's Serious Fraud Office requested help from Switzerland to trace the flow of about euro1 million ($1.3 million) sent to Swiss bank accounts via the British Virgin Islands and Panama, the court said.

Aircraft maker Saab of Sweden and BAE, which helps market the plane, reject allegations of improper conduct.

"We continue to support the SFO in its inquiries, with access to people, information and premises whenever requested and wholeheartedly support a rigorous approach," BAE told The Associated Press.

The Czech case has been overshadowed by another investigation into alleged bribery that centers on whether BAE made multimillion-dollar payments to help win a deal to supply fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. The Serious Fraud Office halted its inquiry into that case in 2006, citing national security reasons.

Then-Prime Minister Tony Blair said Saudi officials might withhold crucial cooperation on anti-terrorism intelligence if the investigation continued.

The move was criticized by U.S. officials and Paris-based anti-corruption watchdog OECD.