Court cuts fine in follow-up to Lafayette frigate scandal

A Lafayette- (or Kang Ding) class frigate, hull 1202

An agreement stipulated that Taiwan would receive a 15 percent discount if French agents were caught paying commissions to middlemen

Less than two years after winning a landmark 630 million euro (US$875 million) lawsuit against a French defense contractor over the scandal-plagued sale of Lafayette-class frigates to Taiwan in the 1990s, an arbitration court last week shot down Taipei’s hopes for a second win in a related case, citing a lack of evidence. 

In its follow-up claim, Taipei had filed claims of 45.5 million euros, including interests and prosecution fees, against DCNS, the maker of the frigates, over a 1996 spares supply contract for the six multi-role stealth frigates. 

My article, published today in the Taipei Times, continues here.