You get the feeling that the financial investigation concerning European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. (EADS) is going to turn into a Boeing-Darleen Druyun type scandal. The latest chapter is unfolding in Paris, where former EADS CEO Noel Forgeard is being held for questioning by financial authorities. Forgeard is one of 17 former EADS or Airbus executives being investigated for dumping stock just before the company announced further delays in the A380 in 2006. After the announcement, EADS shares fell 26 percent.
Forgeard is big-name guy in Europe. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2004 and served as industrial adviser to the French prime minister for more than a decade.