ASL
ASL is a global aviation services group based in Swords, Ireland. Credit: HAL9001 via flickr.

Global aviation services group Airline Services Limited (ASL) has agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) for a bribery case.

The agreement comes after the department secured final approval from Justice May.

The case occurred when ASL hired an agent to win three contracts, worth more than £7.3m, with Lufthansa to refurbish commercial aircraft.

The agent used by ASL took advantage of his position as a project manager for Lufthansa, as a consultant and subsequently employee.

According to SFO, the agent had access to confidential information about potential competitors that he used to provide ASL with an illegal competitive edge to win the contracts.

Serious Fraud Office director Lisa Osofsky said: “ASL failed in its duties to implement adequate procedures to prevent bribery, allowing one of its agents to pervert what should have been a fair tender process and corruptly win business for the company.

“I am pleased that our actions hold the company to account and enable us to recover the proceeds of its crimes.

“It is to the credit of this now-dormant company that it voluntarily disclosed this conduct to the SFO and will remain in existence to fulfil the terms of the DPA.”

Under the agreement, ASL is required to pay £2.97m, which includes a financial penalty of £1.23m, disgorgement of profits representing the gain of the criminal conduct of £990,971.45, and a contribution to the SFO’s costs of £750,000.

ASL specialises in providing services and products for the refurbishment of commercial aircraft interiors.

The company is now open as a non-trading entity to meet the DPA terms.