Saudis Deny Paying Any Commissions in British Arms Deals

Saudi Arabia said Monday that no arms dealers were involved and no commissions were paid in big arms purchases reported to be subject of a bribery probe in Britain.

A British newspaper, The Observer, said Sunday that authorities are investigating Saudi deals, mainly with British Aerospace, worth $34 billion.

The newspaper said the probe comes in the wake of its earlier allegation that huge commission payments inflated the price of the company’s Tornado fighter-bombers.

Britain’s Ministry of Defense acknowledged that a public watchdog body, the National Audit Office, is looking into the deals but called it a routine check that does not necessarily indicate any suspicion of wrongdoing.

The Saudi Press Agency on Monday quoted an official spokesman as saying that “British officials know that the contract was signed between the two governments without the involvement of intermediaries or arms agents.”