Blogger accuses aerospace manufacturer of paying bribes to intermediary who worked on major contracts with Chinese airlines

Bribery allegations deepen at Rolls-Royce

Claims of corruption and bribery at Rolls-Royce have taken a new turn after allegations emerged that the company may have made payments to an executive who handled contracts worth more than €1.5bn with two Chinese airlines.

Postings by a blogger writing under the pseudonym of “soaringdragon” claim that the Derby-based manufacturer paid bribes to Chen Xin, an intermediary who worked on deals between the company and Air China in 2005 and China Eastern Airlines in 2010.

The allegations come a month after Rolls-Royce announced that it had been approached by the Serious Fraud Office about allegations of malpractice in Indonesia and China, prompting it to launch an investigation.

Rolls-Royce has so far refused to comment over the new China allegations, however, yesterday the Sunday Times published a comment from China Eastern Airlines that appeared to confirm that Chinese authorities had arrested Chen Xin in 2011.