Commenting on today’s BAE Systems progress report on its resources-resources-business conduct1 in the wake of last year’s Woolf recommendations, Chandu Krishnan, Executive Director of TI (UK) said:

20 April 2009 - "There are some signs that the direction of travel is correct - such as the introduction of the Global Code of Conduct. But in terms of the Woolf recommendations the report is more a description of intent rather than progress. So the jury is still out on whether BAE has made significant strides towards its ambition to become a global leader on ethics.

"Deloitte makes it clear that its audit is not a judgment on whether BAE's actions are really taking it further towards implementing the Woolf recommendations. The statements made by the company last year promised more, and we had expected to see more.”

Notes to the editor

1. BAE Systems Corporate Responsibility report 2008, Making progress, includes its report on Business Conduct, and is available here
2. The Woolf report was commissioned following a series of corruption allegations involving BAE Systems – including the controversial Al Yamamah UK-Saudi Arabia arms deal and others involving Tanzania, the Czech Republic and South Africa. The Woolf committee’s recommendations were published in May 2008.