Posted on 01/11/2002 2:08:31 PM PST by expose
Loral fined $14m over China missiles claim
By Edward Alden and Peter Spiegel in Washington
Loral, the US satellite company, said it would pay $14m to the US State Department to settle a claim that it improperly gave technical information to China that may have aided that country's nuclear missile programme.
Loral also said the Justice Department had ended its investigation of the company and would not pursue any criminal charges.
The fine marks the last chapter in a bitter political battle in Washington in which Republicans alleged that during the Clinton administration the US had turned a blind eye to actions by Loral and other satellite makers that may have threatened national security.
Loral agreed to the fine, which will be spread out over seven years, without admitting or denying the government's charges.
The investigation arose out of the 1996 explosion of a Chinese rocket carrying one of Loral's Intelsat satellites. Loral subsequently took part in a technical investigation of the launch failure, which it inadvertently shared with the Chinese. The US Defence Department found that the technical data given to China may have helped the Chinese improve the accuracy of their military rockets and missiles, which use similar technology. Experts have since questioned whether anything of military value was given to China.
Bernard Schwartz, Loral chief executive, said on Wednesday the data were mistakenly sent to China by a Loral employee without approval by the US government, and expressed regret. He said the company had since greatly improved its oversight.
The Loral incident led to a detailed congressional investigation, which concluded China had been stealing an array of US military secrets. It resulted in severe restrictions on US satellite exports imposed in 1999.
The Justice Department had also been investigating a separate incident involving Hughes Electronics, another US satellite maker. Richard Dore, a Hughes spokesman, said on Wednesday the company had also been informed by Justice that no criminal charges would be filed.
But Hughes lawyers will meet State Department officials this month to discuss their own settlement of the matter and whether a fine will be necessary. "We've contended all along that we followed the government guidelines," said Mr Dore.
Hughes was accused of helping improve Chinese rocket and missile technology while investigating launch failures. The satellite-building unit of Hughes, Hughes Space and Communications, was sold to Boeing in 2000, but Hughes retained liability for the technology transfer investigation.
Lockheed Martin also agreed to pay $13m in 2000 after a company it acquired was accused of helping a Hong Kong company with ties to Beijing. <P.
Does anybody believe the "smartest" pres in history sold out tens of billions worth of guidence and warhead research for a measley million or so from Riady and the Chinese to the DNC. I would hope not.
Absolutely, sorry. BTTT
Absolutely, sorry.
Again, sorry to all those who I pinged in the above lists which involved hundreds of FR posters.
(however, I did state above that I won't be pinging these two lists again, (except for the 50% of the folks that I do know) - - guess folks didn't see that)
BTTT
I don't know; could be that our govt. investigators very well are ...looking at a different aspect of the Clinton/Gore Chinagate Scandal.
Anyway, in the meantime, Luis, I and others can discuss this grave matter over the coming days/weeks and months. bttt
Please add me to your list.
Thanks.
Thanks FF.
Good to see fellow posters who card about this devastating Clinton/Gore treason. bttt
Yes it will and I'm looking forward to getting started right away/as soon as possible. (however, kids are now home from school, so I might not be back this afternoon or this evening)
(We'll see who knows what - about Asian affairs!)
Can't handle the fact that other people have different opinions than yours on a subject?
Is that the measure of patriotism to you? People who do not share every single one of your opinions are not patriots?
Let me understand this now, and please forgive me, coming from a country where dissidence was punished and ridiculed in public I get confused sometimes; you get to set my opinions, my agendas, my discourse, and my ideals?
Do people who do not share in your limited, narrow view of the world get repudiated?
And here, all this time, I thought I had freedom of thought.
Is your last name Castro by any chance?
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