Posted on 06/16/2007 12:05:09 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Saudi scandal takes off again over prince's birthday plane
By Agence France Presse (AFP)
Saturday, June 16, 2007
LONDON: British defense giant BAE bought Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan an Airbus plane under a multi-billion pound arms deal and is still paying the costs of flying it, The Guardian newspaper said Friday. The latest allegation met with renewed denials of wrongdoing from BAE, which said it does not pay or receive bribes or "offer other improper inducements," although a spokesman declined to comment on the specific plane charge.
The newspaper last week alleged that BAE transferred secret payments totaling more than 1 billion pounds ($2 billion) into accounts controlled by Bandar as part of the Al-Yamamah arms deal signed in 1985.
On Friday The Guardian said the top-of-the-range, four-engine Airbus 340, worth 75 million pounds, was painted in the silver and blue colors of the Dallas Cowboys, Bandar's favorite American football team. The newspaper said it was given to him on his birthday in 1998.
It quoted the prince's lawyers as saying that BAE bought and fitted out the airliner for the Saudi Defense Ministry "pursuant to the Al-Yamamah program." Under the deal, "BAE continues to be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the plane," the lawyers were quoted as saying.
It would be wrong to suggest it was a "corrupt gift," they said, as the Saudi Air Force owned the aircraft, which has also been used by other dignitaries, including King Abdullah and Foreign Minister Prince Faisal.
BAE said Friday that throughout The Guardian allegations and a British corruption probe that was called off at the end of last year, "we have and continue to be very clear and consistent in denying any wrongdoing. BAE Systems does not, and will not, pay bribes or offer improper inducements to anyone for any purpose, in any market, nor will it accept bribes or improper inducements." http://www.dailystar.com.lb
In the statement, BAE spokeswoman Lisa Hillary-Tee added: "The Al-Yamamah program is a confidential contract between the governments of the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia and as such we are unable to comment. The fact that we have not commented specifically on this particular allegation should not be taken as any kind of admission."
BAE also announced Friday the creation of an independent committee to evaluate the firm's business practices and ensure they abide by the highest ethical standards.
Since the Guardian reports appeared, both BAE and Prince Bandar have denied any impropriety. BAE said all payments linked to Al-Yamamah had been made with "the express approval of both the Saudi and British governments." The Guardian, which cited insider legal sources for its earlier report, said it understood that details of the payments had been uncovered by Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) as part of its probe into transactions behind the Al-Yamamah deal.
The SFO had been investigating allegations that BAE had set up a secret slush fund for members of the Saudi royal family to secure continued business, dating back to the deal.
But British Attorney General Peter Goldsmith announced in December that the probe had been shelved. - AFP
Maybe W will invite back to his ranch.
This crook is a dear friend of the Bush family.
Mr. Bush is a globalist just like his father. That is why he takes a globalist position on immigration. Wealthy people see the Mexican illegal immigrants as a source of cheap labor, while the Republican base sees the illegals as the security and economic threat they really are.
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