Britain's Serious Fraud Office on Friday dropped major investigations into engineering firm Rolls-Royce and pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline in a move condemned by anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International. Rolls Royce had already reached a £500 million ($650 million, 574 million euros) agreement with the SFO over claims that corruption and bribery were used to win business in China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Russia, Nigeria, China and Malaysia.

The SFO said it had now concluded that there would be "no prosecution of individuals associated with the company". The investigation into GlaxoSmithKline, meanwhile, related to commercial practices by the firm, its subsidiaries and associated individuals.

"After an extensive and careful examination I have concluded that there is either insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction or it is not in the public interest to bring a prosecution in these cases," said SFO director Lisa Osofsky.

Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2019