EasyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou has offered a £5 million reward for information on whether any bribery or corruption was involved in a multibillion-pound order for more than 100 new Airbus aircraft.
The extraordinary move was rejected by the budget airline as a slur.
Management said that external accountants BDO were brought in at the time of the order in 2013 to identify any dishonesty during the procurement.
Sir Stelios, 53, who retains a 34% stake, is campaigning to oust the airline’s chairman, chief executive and finance director over its commitment to the order with Airbus at a time when aircraft are grounded due to Covid-19 travel restrictions and it is burning through cash.
An extraordinary general meeting next week is expected to see the battle come to a head.
Sir Stelios yesterday issued a “wanted” internet posting stating: “Whistle-blower campaign about the Easyjet–Airbus scandal.
“Stelios is willing to offer a reward of up to £5 million in cash out of his own money to any whistle-blower who provides useful information that leads to the cancellation of the order for EasyJet to buy an additional 107 Airbus aircraft at the cost of £4.5 billion which EasyJet simply cannot afford.”
The airline said: “The board firmly rejects any insinuation that EasyJet was involved in any impropriety. EasyJet has maintained the highest standards of governance and scrutiny in respect of its aircraft procurement processes.
“Given the significance of the potential transaction, EasyJet appointed external independent accountants BDO to carry out an ongoing review of the controls surrounding the fleet selection process which culminated in the 2013 Airbus contract.
“The audit report confirmed that robust procurement, project management and governance processes were in place and had been followed.”
