Korea Aerospace Industries, a South Korean aviation firm, failed to disclose the indictment of nine current and former executives on corruption charges two weeks before the firm won a contract worth up to $48 million from the U.S. Air Force, according to the Washington Post.
The business, whose executives were being investigated on charges of embezzlement, bribery, and defrauding the South Korean government, had retained Michael Cohen, President Trump’s personal lawyer, as a consultant, according to the Post.
Cohen’s firm received $150,000 from Korean Aerospace Industries, but there was no evidence he was involved in the Air Force contract, the Post reported; the company said he wasn’t.
According to the report, the corruption allegations should have prompted further investigation before the contract was awarded. Korea Aerospace Industries is also competing with Lockheed Martin for an $18 billion contract to provide more than 300 supersonic training jets to the U.S. military.
