The British police have confirmed that they are examining an Iraqi cigar case belonging to London mayor Boris Johnson, in order to determine whether it is a looted Iraqi artifact. Johnson handed over the case on Monday.
Johnson took the case in 2003 from the bombed-out home of former Iraqi deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz.
Johnson was then working as a journalist, and had been taken to Aziz's ransacked villa. He is quoted in The Daily Telegraph:
"And there, just by my toe, protruding from beneath a piece of dusty plywood, was the cigar case.....the circumstances in which I came by this object were so morally ambiguous that I cannot quite think of it as theft."
He added, rather ruefully:
"Well, I suppose we should be grateful for one thing, it seems that a Western politician is finally going to pay the price for his involvement in the Iraq war."
Much a do about nothing!
Showing posts with label Boris Johnson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boris Johnson. Show all posts
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
The Mystery of The Disappearing Cigar Case
In a plot totally unlike the complexity or interest of an Agatha Christie plot, Boris Johnson (candidate for London's mayor) has found himself under police investigation for "stealing" the red cigar case of Tariq Aziz in May 2003.
Scotland Yard wrote to Mr Johnson demanding that return the red leather case, which he took from the bombed out home of Tariq Aziz in May 2003 (Aziz had surrendered to the US military days earlier).
Read the letter here.
Mr Johnson has now agreed to give back the case. However, he was somewhat surprised to find himself the subject of an investigation; given that he has never attempted to conceal the fact that he took the case. Indeed, he even wrote about it in The Daily Telegraph in 2003.
Mr Johnson's campaign team suspects dirty tricks by his opponents in May's mayoral election.
Scotland Yard now admit, privately, that they have handled the whole affair very badly.
A senior source is quoted in The Telegraph as saying:
"It is fair to say that the issue should have been handled differently. It should have been referred higher up. More senior officers should have been involved. It has not come out the way we would have wanted it to."
A complete waste of time and money!
Scotland Yard wrote to Mr Johnson demanding that return the red leather case, which he took from the bombed out home of Tariq Aziz in May 2003 (Aziz had surrendered to the US military days earlier).
Read the letter here.
Mr Johnson has now agreed to give back the case. However, he was somewhat surprised to find himself the subject of an investigation; given that he has never attempted to conceal the fact that he took the case. Indeed, he even wrote about it in The Daily Telegraph in 2003.
Mr Johnson's campaign team suspects dirty tricks by his opponents in May's mayoral election.
Scotland Yard now admit, privately, that they have handled the whole affair very badly.
A senior source is quoted in The Telegraph as saying:
"It is fair to say that the issue should have been handled differently. It should have been referred higher up. More senior officers should have been involved. It has not come out the way we would have wanted it to."
A complete waste of time and money!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)