Airline group Air France-KLM has been put under investigation by a French financial judge as part of a broadening probe into money laundering and illegal employment practices at a bankrupt airline security group, the company's lawyer said on Thursday.
Under French law, a company can be treated as a legal entity and found responsible for crimes that a judge is unable to attribute to individuals.
Placing a person or company under investigation is the first step to laying charges, but Air France-KLM lawyer Jean-Rene Farthouat said the group would make an appeal, saying the investigation was "founded on no serious basis."
The legal director of Air France-KLM Jean-Marc Bardy appeared for three hours before Judge Herve Lourau as the representative of Air France-KLM on Thursday, according to Farthouat.
complicity
The group has been put under investigation for alleged complicity in the illegal use of company property and illegal employment practices in relation to the bankruptcy of airline security group Pretory.
Air France-KLM "is suspected of having known that the company Pretory was not respecting the legal provisions and as a result was making unwarranted money for itself," Farthouat said.
Air France-KLM could later be put under investigation for organized money laundering.
The judge is investigating contracts between Air France and Pretory for the supply of on-board security agents for flights going to the US in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Pretory's turnover increased sharply as a result of the contracts and the group had 600 employees at one point before being placed under bankruptcy administration for liquidation of its assets in December 2003.
money laundering?
A judicial investigation was launched after a government agency tracking money laundering uncovered suspicious transfers linked to Pretory of 10 million euros (US$12.7 million).
Air France-KLM chief executive Jean-Cyril Spinetta met judge Lourau on Tuesday but was not put under investigation.
Lourau is looking into how Pretory could have been awarded such huge contracts since it was totally unknown in the airline security sector.
He is also checking how Pretory paid its staff.
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