Munich prosecutors are carrying out an investigation at Airbus’s defence unit over alleged corruption linked to contracts with Romania and Saudi Arabia, they said yesterday.

The Munich prosecutor’s office said it was investigating EADS, as Airbus Group was formerly called, over suspicion of paying bribes to foreign officials and tax evasion in connection with business in the two countries.

It said a small number of people were under investigation and that material confiscated from searches related to those people and different companies was now being evaluated.

Prosecutors searched offices on suspicion that bribes were paid to enable the company to obtain contracts worth €3 billion in Saudi Arabia and Romania, German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported earlier on Wednesday without naming its sources.

Airbus said prosecutors were investigating irregularities in border security projects awarded to Airbus’s defence business, but declined to confirm details.

It said that unit Airbus Defence and Space GmbH itself was not accused of any wrongdoing and that it was cooperating fully with the prosecutors.