The Italian Handshake

In 2012 Sweden bought 7 new SAR-helicopters (search and rescue) from the Italian manufacturer AgustaWestland/Finmeccanica. A contract worth at least 250 million USD. The Swedish government assured the taxpayers that these were the best helicopters to the best price. The Italian firm claimed the affair was all open book. Then why did they have to lie, classify crucial documents as confidential and break the law? The investigative team of SVT could by engaged and tireless journalism reveal how the officials at the SMA (Swedish Maritime Administration) bypassed the public tender and negociated the deal in secret with AgustaWestland’s Icelandic sales agent. Furthermore, how they used private email accounts and Hotmail to communicate with the Italian manufacturer to secure the deal in complete secrecy. In one email they wanted ”to shake hands” weeks before the public tender was even announced to the market.