The trial of Eng Heng Chiaw, 46, who allegedly tried to pay for information about a bid by a competitor of European aerospace giant EADS but was disowned by the firm, has been set for April 11-15.

Eng was charged last month with offering 500,000 Singapore dollarsto a Singaporean defence ministry official for details of a rival bid for the contract being sought by the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company.

The contract was for six naval helicopters which the Singapore government eventually awarded to Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. of the United States.

"My client is obviously worried and anxious to clear his name," Eng's lawyer Shashi Nathan told reporters after a pre-trial conference at the Subordinate Court.

"It appears to be a pretty straightforward case of offering gratification, but we have to see how the evidence goes."

Deputy public prosecutor Eugene Lee told AFP that key prosecution witnesses will include Sin Boon Wah, the deputy chief executive for strategic development at Singapore's Defence Science and Technology Agency whom Eng allegedly tried to bribe.

EADS, which is partly owned by the French government, has denied any link to the scandal and said it had no association with Eng.

It also sugggested the case had been "manipulated" to damage the company's reputation, without elaborating on who was behind it.

"Neither EADS, nor its helicopter subsidiary Eurocopter, has any relationship with the person," EADS said in the statement last month.

"As a matter of corporate policy, EADS fully complies with all applicable legislation in every country where it does business."

A copy of the charge sheet obtained by AFP said Eng had wanted information "about the price offered by the competitor in a naval helicopter project so that a company, European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) SEA P/L, could price its offer to secure the said project."

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