Britain halts corruption probe to save Saudi arms deal
British fraud investigators have stopped a probe
into a multi-billion pound arms deal with Saudi Arabia, the country’s
attorney general said, after Riyadh warned it would cancel the
deal.
Why is this man smiling?
British fraud investigators have stopped a probe into a multi-billion pound arms deal with Saudi Arabia, the country’s attorney general said, after Riyadh warned it would cancel the deal.
Attorney General Lord Peter Goldsmith said the decision had been made “in the wider public interest,” which had to be balanced against the rule of law.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) had been running an investigation into claims that British defence group BAE Systems established a slush fund for some members of the Saudi royal family, which allegedly provided perks including luxury cars to ensure that they kept doing business with BAE.
Goldsmith added that he had asked Prime Minister Tony Blair and Defence Secretary Des Browne for their views.
“They have expressed the clear view that continuation of the investigation would cause serious damage to UK/Saudi security, intelligence and diplomatic cooperation,” he said.
We should remember that Doublespeak and Newspeak were invented in the UK. Our politicians just perfected them.
Posted: Thu - December 14, 2006 at 03:25 PM