Paris: French judges had searched the headquarters of Thales as part of a probe into charges of corruption at the French defence electronics firm, accused by a former employee of paying out millions of dollars in bribes, judicial sources said yesterday.

Thales, and its subsidiary, Thint, will be prosecuted for alleged corruption along with sacked deputy president Jacob Zuma in the Durban High Court next year. The French judicial sources said investigators had also searched the headquarters of the French government's arms procurement agency, the DGA, which is a client of Thales. They had requisitioned numerous documents and computer equipment, the sources said.

French prosecutors earlier this month launched two formal investigations into Thales over several suspect deals in France and abroad following a preliminary inquiry into allegations of wrongdoing by fired executive Michel Josserand. Judge Renaud Van Ruymbeke spent more than 10 hours at the Thales headquarters in Neuilly-sur-Seine on Tuesday. Thales confirmed the search but reiterated its denial of any wrongdoing.

With acknowledgements to Sapa and The Mercury.