BAE May Face Corruption Trial Nigel Evans, Member of Parliament for the Ribble Valley, had the following reaction to reports that The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is expected to announce later that it wishes to prosecute defence giant BAE Systems for alleged bribery. Mr Evans said, “I will obviously be monitoring any decision very closely given that BAE are the biggest employer in the Ribble Valley with their sites at Samlesbury and Wharton. “Clearly, there remain questions to be answered but any decision could have huge knock on effects for the manufacturing industry in the North West and the UK as a whole. I know, with my discussions with BAE over 17 years, just how important the research that they do there is and just how highly skilled the manufacturing is. They also have relationships with many small to medium sized businesses across the country and that should not be underestimated. “The fact is that BAE is the UK's largest manufacturer. It has about 105,000 employees worldwide with customers in more than 100 countries. We should be aware that if a decision creates a hole in that market, our neighbours and international competitors will be quick to fill it. “The last thing that the British economy needs is for its leading manufacturer to be severely financially impaired.” For further information, please contact the office of Nigel Evans MP on 0207 219 6939 |