FILE images of the Scorpene-class Humaita submarine at the Itaguai naval base, near Rio de Janeiro. French defence group Thales faces fresh questions after police in three countries searched its offices this week as part of two separate corruption investigations, a judicial source told AFP. During an official visit to Rio de Janeiro in 2008, France's then president Nicolas Sarkozy signed a contract with Brazil for the sale of four Scorpene-class submarines for 5.2 billion euros. The vessels incorporated parts supplied by Thales and three of the submarines have already been delivered. The second element of the deal was the construction of a naval base and a submarine construction site at Itaguai, which was inaugurated in 2018. FILE IMAGES