Agusta scandal

The Agusta scandal (French: Affaire Agusta, Dutch: Agustaschandaal), alternatively known as the Agusta–Dassault Case, was a major political scandal which occurred in Belgium during the mid-1990s. It was based on allegations that aircraft manufacturers Agusta and Dassault had bribed Belgian government officials in 1988 to secure large defence procurement contracts for the Belgian Armed Forces. The Agusta scandal was exposed during investigations into the death of the Parti Socialiste politician André Cools in 1991 and an official enquiry was opened in 1993. Numerous senior figures in both the Parti Socialiste and the Socialistische Partij were implicated, including the incumbent Secretary General of NATO Willy Claes and Minister of Defense Guy Coëme who were forced to resign. The Agusta scandal was the first of a series of highly-publicised scandals in Belgium during the 1990s, followed by the revelations about the "Hormone Mafia", the Dioxin affair, and the Dutroux affair.