Rafale deal | French anti-corruption agency AFA found Dassault paid 1 million euros to middleman: report

However, it did not refer matter to prosecutors, according to Mediapart probe.

French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation had paid one million euros to an Indian company owned by a middleman, being investigated for another defence deal in India, in connection with the €7.87-billion Rafale deal between India and France in 2016, French anti-corruption agency Agence Française Anticorruption (AFA) found in its audit, according to a French media report. “That middleman is now accused of money laundering in India in another defence deal. The company said the money was used to pay for the manufacture of 50 large replica models of Rafale jets, even though the inspectors were given no proof that these models were made. Yet, against all apparent logic, the AFA decided not to refer the matter to prosecutors,” according to an investigation by Mediapart. Dassault had provided AFA with a “proforma invoice” dated March 30, 2017, supplied by an Indian company called Defsys Solutions, which, according to the AFA investigation report, was related to 50% of the total order (€1,017,850), for the manufacture of 50 models of the Rafale C, with a price per unit of €20,357.