Austria to Sue Airbus

Austria said Thursday that it will sue European aerospace giant Airbus over a $2 billion sale of Eurofighter jets that has long been plagued by allegations of kickbacks, AFP reported. A government probe concluded that the Airbus and Eurofigher consortium had “deliberately misled the Austrian Republic on the real price, delivery capabilities and its equipment” of the deal signed in 2003. “Austria would have never decided to buy the Eurofighter jets in 2003 without the fraudulent deception by Airbus and Eurofighter,” Defense Minister Hans Peter Doskozil said. EU member Austria is seeking damages of up to €1.1 billion ($1.16 million) for its largest-ever defense deal, worth around €2 billion.