‘Bribery’ swoop on trainmaker Alstom directors

Three UK directors of trainmaker Alstom were arrested today on allegations of corruption and bribing overseas customers as the Serious Fraud Office said it was also "assessing" the Rio Tinto corruption trial in China.

Officers from the SFO, the Metropolitan Police and police from four other counties were involved in dawn raids on homes and offices in London and the Midlands this morning under the codename Operation Ruthenium.

Five offices and four homes were raided after search warrants were issued.

The SFO said the three men, aged 52, 51 and 44, were arrested on suspicion of bribery and corruption, conspiracy to pay bribes, money laundering and false accounting. They were taken to police stations for interviewing.

The police said it was suspected that UK companies within Alstom had paid bribes in order to win contracts overseas. The SFO worked closely with Swiss prosecutors and police on the investigation.

Alstom employs 5000 people in the UK and is involved in major energy projects as well as train and carriage building. Its Paris headquarters declined to comment on the arrests.