Austria may seek to cancel EADS Eurofighter deal

    VIENNA, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Austria may try to cancel its $2 billion deal to buy 15 Eurofighter jets from European aerospace group EADS <EAD.PA> if it finds bribes were paid as part of the agreement.

   "It depends on the results of the Justice Ministry's investigations. It is a possibility and we should then examine it," defence minister Norbert Darabos told Austrian ORF radio on Friday.

   Authorities said last week they had raided EADS sites in Austria, Germany and Switzerland as part of investigations into suspected bribery, money-laundering and fraud in connection with the 2003 deal.

   Austria specified at the time of the tender the supplier would have to guarantee counter-deals that would pour twice the value of the jet contract into the local economy through suppliers, related services or education projects.

   Allegations soon surfaced that many of these counter-deals had no substance and money was flowing instead into the pockets of politicians including the late right-wing leader Joerg Haider, civil servants and private companies.

   Questions were asked in parliament about the matter as long ago as 2006, and last year prosecutors began investigations.

   "If there is evidence, if there are results of the investigations that would justify an intervention from us, then we will do that," Darabos said. ($1 = 0.7817 euro)

(Reporting by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Dan Lalor)