The public prosecutor's office in Munich has found in its investigation of Airbus employees much more confidential papers of the Bundeswehr than previously known.
According to SPIEGEL information, the investigators discovered in various mail accounts of Airbus people over 100 classified as classified information ("VS - only for official use") Bundeswehr papers. In part, these concern budget planning for the Bundeswehr, but also intentional purchases or the development of new weapons systems.
The new findings are tricky for Airbus. In mid-September, the company had itself reported to the Munich Public Prosecutor's Office, as they had found, according to an internal reference two confidential planning dossier of the Bundeswehr at Airbus employees in Ottobrunn. At that time it was about the expansion of a military satellite program and a new communication system for the Bundeswehr. Airbus is considered a likely contractor in both projects, so the planning documents are extremely valuable to the company.
Since the self-advertisement, the company strives to act as a tough enlightener. Immediately one separated himself from 17 coworkers from the work in Ottobrunn and announced full transparency opposite the judiciary.
Voluntarily, openness does not come.
For example, Airbus must be afraid of being excluded from the bid for the millionaire large-scale projects for the German Armed Forces because the employees could have obtained an unfair competitive advantage through the Bundeswehr's confidential planning documents.
Possible leak known for years
The fact that the investigators found other confidential documents at Airbus apart from the two reported cases, nourishes the suspicion of a buddy system between Bundeswehr planners and employees of Airbus. The judiciary said that it was assumed that the papers found were from various sources in the Defense Department's business. These are usually classified documents from the so-called subordinate authorities, such as the Planning or Procurement Office in Koblenz.
In the defense department, they began parallel to their own investigation on how the confidential documents could land at Airbus. First of all the search for a leak for the two dossiers of the satellite program "SATCOMBw Level 3" and another communication project, the question now arises whether Airbus has a nationwide overview of the plans of the troops. At the latest then would turn from an annoying process a tangible scandal that would shake the business and trust relationship with Airbus.
A potential leak in their own system was discovered by the Ministry of Defense years ago. For example, IT experts warned that dozens of Airbus employees who worked as technical experts at the Bundeswehr procurement office in Koblenz had full access to the Bundeswehr IT system and thus also to classified planning documents. Since you could not restrict the access without much effort, nothing was initially done.
Ministry is silent
Airbus did not want to comment on the new findings on Tuesday. From the armaments division of the company said it only, one cooperates intensively with the Munich public prosecutor and have this an internal investigation report of the commercial law firm Roxin forwarded. The judiciary is formally investigating on suspicion of the disclosure of confidential documents from the Bundeswehr's business to Airbus.
Also, the ministry did not comment on Tuesday and referred to the ongoing investigation. On Wednesday, however, want several parliamentarians of the Bundestag in the Defense Committee of the Bundestag to the process and the current status of the investigation questions, at the latest then the Ministry has to take a position.