Mabey & Johnson, a British bridge construction company, has admitted that it may have made corrupt payments to Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq to win an export order.
Mabey & Johnson have been under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office for more than a year.
In its recent annual results Mabey said that in April this year, it "disclosed to the SFO evidence that had come to light suggesting that in 2002 the company may have indirectly made two payments to the Iraqi regime in breach of UN sanctions".
Mabey added that it "has recently been notified of allegations that certain historical contracts may have been procured through corrupt acts".
The company has called in a firm of City lawyers, Herbert Smith, to carry out its own inquiry into all the corruption allegations. New managers have been installed at the firm.
The UN report in sanctions busting alleges that Mabey paid a $202K kickback between 2001 and 2003, and was given a $3.6M contract by the Iraqis.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
The Way of The World
The veracity of the justification by the Whitehouse for going to war in Iraq has taken another knock.
The journalist Ron Suskind has published a book "The Way of The World" in which he claims that the White House ordered the CIA to forge and backdate a handwritten letter from the head of Iraqi intelligence to Saddam Hussein, to link the Iraq regime to Al Qaeda.
"The White House had concocted a fake letter from Habbush to Saddam, backdated to July 1, 2001. It said that 9/11 ringleader Mohammad Atta had actually trained for his mission in Iraq –- thus showing, finally, that there was an operational link between Saddam and al Qaeda, something the vice president's office had been pressing CIA to prove since 9/11 as a justification to invade Iraq.
There is no link."
The Whitehouse has stated that the claim is nonsense.
Whatever the truth or otherwise of the allegations, no matter what evidence is presented, there will be those who believe them and those who don't.
The journalist Ron Suskind has published a book "The Way of The World" in which he claims that the White House ordered the CIA to forge and backdate a handwritten letter from the head of Iraqi intelligence to Saddam Hussein, to link the Iraq regime to Al Qaeda.
"The White House had concocted a fake letter from Habbush to Saddam, backdated to July 1, 2001. It said that 9/11 ringleader Mohammad Atta had actually trained for his mission in Iraq –- thus showing, finally, that there was an operational link between Saddam and al Qaeda, something the vice president's office had been pressing CIA to prove since 9/11 as a justification to invade Iraq.
There is no link."
The Whitehouse has stated that the claim is nonsense.
Whatever the truth or otherwise of the allegations, no matter what evidence is presented, there will be those who believe them and those who don't.
Monday, July 28, 2008
The House of Saddam
BBC2 at 9:00PM this Wednesday begins broadcasting the House of Saddam, a four part dramatisation of Saddam's time in power.
The series starts in 1979, when Saddam seized the presidency, and ends in 2006 with his execution.
Israeli actor Igal Naor plays Saddam.
Naor said he was asked for blessings by ordinary Arabs, as he filmed House of Saddam in Tunisia.
"We were shooting a few walkabouts that Saddam used to do in the streets of Baghdad.
It involved hundreds of extras and a lot of ordinary Tunisians. Every time I got out of my trailer people were coming to me as if they had never heard of Saddam's death.
They acted as if I was Saddam himself, calling me by his name, asking for my blessing, and wishing me victory in the war.
I checked with the production whether someone asked them to do this. The answer was no."
Nowt so queer as folk!
The series starts in 1979, when Saddam seized the presidency, and ends in 2006 with his execution.
Israeli actor Igal Naor plays Saddam.
Naor said he was asked for blessings by ordinary Arabs, as he filmed House of Saddam in Tunisia.
"We were shooting a few walkabouts that Saddam used to do in the streets of Baghdad.
It involved hundreds of extras and a lot of ordinary Tunisians. Every time I got out of my trailer people were coming to me as if they had never heard of Saddam's death.
They acted as if I was Saddam himself, calling me by his name, asking for my blessing, and wishing me victory in the war.
I checked with the production whether someone asked them to do this. The answer was no."
Nowt so queer as folk!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Knit A Saddam Doll
Those of you with a penchant for knitting may, or probably may not, be interested to know that there is a knitting pattern available for a Saddam doll.
Rachael Matthews has written a book which contains designs for a number of dictators, including; Saddam Hussein, Pol Pot, Hitler and Idi Amin.
Why would anyone want to knit a dictator?
Rachael Matthews has written a book which contains designs for a number of dictators, including; Saddam Hussein, Pol Pot, Hitler and Idi Amin.
Why would anyone want to knit a dictator?
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Banquo's Ghost
Izzat al Douri, a key former member of Saddam's regime who is still on the run, has allegedly released an audio message telling President Bush that this would be a "decisive year" and vowing to continue fighting American forces.
This message, if genuine, is regarded more as an election tactic (an election date has yet to be set in Iraq, but is likely to be called) rather than a direct threat to President Bush.
This message, if genuine, is regarded more as an election tactic (an election date has yet to be set in Iraq, but is likely to be called) rather than a direct threat to President Bush.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
The Watchlist
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has stated that the US has produced a watch list of suspected and known terrorists, containing the names of more than one million people. According to the ACLU the list is growing by an average of over 20,000 records per month.
Among those on the watchlist are rather bizarrely Saddam Hussein who was actually hanged in 2005, decorated war veterans, and US senator Ted Kennedy.
The Transportation Security Administration has flatly denied the one million names figure; they say it contains a "mere" 450,000 people.
So that's alright then!
Among those on the watchlist are rather bizarrely Saddam Hussein who was actually hanged in 2005, decorated war veterans, and US senator Ted Kennedy.
The Transportation Security Administration has flatly denied the one million names figure; they say it contains a "mere" 450,000 people.
So that's alright then!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Saddam's Son's Cars Found
Police in Iraq have discovered five cars that were once owned by Odai, one of the sons of Saddam Hussein.
The cars, two Rolls Royces and several vintage classics, were stolen from Odai Hussein's palace after the US invasion in 2003. They were then buried in an orchard in Baghdad's Dora neighborhood.
The thieves planned to smuggle the cars out of the country, and sell them. However, police learned of the plan and arrested three people.
The cars, two Rolls Royces and several vintage classics, were stolen from Odai Hussein's palace after the US invasion in 2003. They were then buried in an orchard in Baghdad's Dora neighborhood.
The thieves planned to smuggle the cars out of the country, and sell them. However, police learned of the plan and arrested three people.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
$10BN Lawsuit
The Iraqi government has served a number of foreign companies with a $10BN civil lawsuit. The companies, including Daimler, Siemens and B. Braun are accused of colluding with Saddam Hussein.
The lawsuit describes the kick backs etc involved in the United Nation's food-for-oil program in Iraq as "the largest financial fraud in human history."
The lawsuit has been filed in the US federal court in New York, and alleges that 2,200 companies from 66 countries paid a total of $1.8BN in kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's regime in exchange for supply deals.
Quote:
"Its impact on the people of Iraq when far beyond financial loss.
The corruption of the OFFP (oil-for-food program) affected the very lives and health of the Iraqi people."
Daimler allegedly sold Mercedes trucks and spare parts to the Iraqi government. The A UN-sponsored report by Paul Volcker claims that an area manager at Daimler agreed in 2001 to pay a 10% kickback on a deal to sell an armoured van to Iraq, at an inflated price.
Daimler maintained at the time that it did not knowingly pay kickbacks.
Siemens has been accused of paying a six-figure sum as a bribe to the regime, to secure energy and medical-equipment contracts.
Chickens are coming home to roost!
The lawsuit describes the kick backs etc involved in the United Nation's food-for-oil program in Iraq as "the largest financial fraud in human history."
The lawsuit has been filed in the US federal court in New York, and alleges that 2,200 companies from 66 countries paid a total of $1.8BN in kickbacks to Saddam Hussein's regime in exchange for supply deals.
Quote:
"Its impact on the people of Iraq when far beyond financial loss.
The corruption of the OFFP (oil-for-food program) affected the very lives and health of the Iraqi people."
Daimler allegedly sold Mercedes trucks and spare parts to the Iraqi government. The A UN-sponsored report by Paul Volcker claims that an area manager at Daimler agreed in 2001 to pay a 10% kickback on a deal to sell an armoured van to Iraq, at an inflated price.
Daimler maintained at the time that it did not knowingly pay kickbacks.
Siemens has been accused of paying a six-figure sum as a bribe to the regime, to secure energy and medical-equipment contracts.
Chickens are coming home to roost!
Monday, July 07, 2008
Yellowcake Goes To Canada
550 metric tonnes of yellowcake (concentrated natural uranium), the last vestige of Saddam Hussein's nuclear program, arrived in Canada on Saturday.
The shipment removed the risk of it being used by insurgents and smugglers crossing to Iran.
Yellowcake can be enriched for use in reactors and, at higher levels, nuclear weapons using sophisticated equipment.
The shipment removed the risk of it being used by insurgents and smugglers crossing to Iran.
Yellowcake can be enriched for use in reactors and, at higher levels, nuclear weapons using sophisticated equipment.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Police Seize Boris's Cigar case
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!
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!
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