Hughes Cleared in Bribe Inquiry
From Associated Press
An eight-month inquiry by a federal grand jury in Los Angeles found no evidence that Hughes Aircraft Co. paid $1 million in bribes to an influential Saudi businessman to help the company land a $1.8-billion air defense contract, officials said today.
From the outset, Hughes had denied the allegation, saying it had come from a disgruntled former employee. The employee, Lee Wilson, had claimed that Hughes bribed Saudi arms merchant Adnan Khashoggi as the company was competing for the contract, which eventually went to Boeing.
