PARIS: Shares in European aircraft maker Airbus tumbled nearly 9% Thursday after French daily Le Monde reported that it could face fines of several billion dollars under a US corruption inquiry. A few months later Britain's Serious Fraud Office opened a fraud, bribery and corruption inquiry over alleged "irregularities concerning third-party consultants." Airbus had already warned in October 2017 that the investigations could have a "material impact" on its earnings. If the Justice Department's inquiry leads to a court ruling against Airbus, it could be excluded from bidding on international contracts for five years, Le Monde said. At around 12:30 pm (6.30pm Thailand time) Airbus shares were down 8.9% at €79.42 on the Paris stock exchange, which was 1.4% lower overall.

Source: Bangkok Post December 20, 2018 11:45 UTC