The Serious Fraud Office has said that it has launched an investigation into allegations that defence and aerospace giant Rolls-Royce was involved in bribery and corruption.

The regulator has launched a criminal investigation against the company. The moves comes after just a year after the company said that it is holding discussions with the SFO relating to allegations that were made on the internet. The company had said that the investigations were on the initial stages and it was too early to predict the outcome of the investigations.

The company had said that the investigations might include prosecution of individuals and of the company. The latest investigation shows that the investigators have now gathered enough evidence to launch a detailed probe against the company.

SFO spokesman said, "We confirm that the director of the Serious Fraud Office has opened a criminal investigation."

The world's second-largest maker of aircraft engines said that it provided the information to the investigators following a request for information from Britain's Serious Fraud Office about allegations of bribery and corruption in its units in Indonesia and China.

The company said that it has identified certain matters of concerns in its units in foreign countries. SFO had asked Rolls to investigate allegations of corruption in China and Indonesia. The company had hired an independent body to investigate the matter and has passed on the results to the SFO.