Injunction halts further plea deals with British defense contractor BAE Systems

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Washington (CNN) -- British defense contractor BAE Systems has pleaded guilty in Washington to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government and was ordered to pay a $400 million criminal fine, authorities announced.

A top Justice Department official said the fine is one of the largest criminal fines ever levied in the United States against a company for business-related violations.

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BAE deal with SFO on hold after High Court injunction

The High Court has granted an injunction to stop the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) striking further deals with UK defence contractor BAE Systems.

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Campaigners have argued that BAE got off lightly, and that there should be a more thorough investigation into the allegations against the defence giant.

They say that the fines are simply administrative charges, and that corruption charges have yet to be investigated thoroughly.

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The Campaign Against the Arms Trade has dismissed the £30m UK fine as a "tiny price" for BAE in the wake of an abortive investigation by the SFO into the company's contracts in Saudi Arabia.