Austria’s air force chief has been suspended over irregularities in a 2003 contract to buy 18 Eurofighters, Austria’s Defense Minister Norbert Darabos announced April 10.
Gen. Erich Wolf has not managed to clear up suspicions that a lobbyist for the plane’s constructor EADS had paid 87,000 euros ($117,000) to a company owned by Wolf’s wife when the contract was being negotiated.
This deal is really odd – could $117,000 be all it takes to get cooperation? Could the general be so naive to think money paid into his wife's business could not be traced? The fact that Austria may now amend the contract is understandable. The bigger news here is that EADS may be in trouble for poor decisions – again. That the general gets disciplined is to be expected. But whose head at EADS will be chopped? Every nation that has Eurofighter/Typhoons needs to wonder whose palm got greased. The Saudi deal no doubt would be a real juicy one to check out – but nobody dares. Right?
