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The U.S. Justice Department is reviewing a 10-year-old contract award by the Brazilian government for 36 Saab F-39E/F Gripen fighters, the Swedish manufacturer said Oct. 10.
Saab North America, Inc., received a subpoena from the Justice Department about the 2014 deal, the parent company said, without elaborating due to “secrecy obligations.”
The new probe by federal prosecutors opens at least a third governmental legal review of the factors that led Brazil to select the Gripen over the Dassault Rafale and the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Brazilian prosecutors opened separate investigations in 2015 and 2016, but closed both reviews without bringing charges.
“Both Brazilian and Swedish authorities have previously investigated parts of the Brazilian fighter procurement process. These investigations were closed without indicating any wrongdoings by Saab,” Saab said in a press release.
It was not immediately clear when Swedish authorities conducted their investigation of the deal.
Brazilian prosecutors opened a probe in 2015 over questions about price changes between the selection of Saab in 2014 and the finalization of the deal a year later. But the Brazilian authorities closed the review after finding no evidence of wrongdoing.
In 2016, Brazil opened a new investigation into allegations of influence peddling tied to the Gripen purchase, but the probe ended six years later with no charges.
Saab has delivered eight F-39Es to the Brazilian air force so far, with the latest delivery completed a month ago.
The Brazilian government selected the Gripen in 2014 for the F-X2 program after a nearly two-decades-long acquisition process that included several interruptions.
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