Blair did secret deal with Saudis

[spiritme]

Blair did secret deal with Saudis
David Leppard, London
March 19, 2007

BRITISH Prime Minister Tony Blair struck a secret deal with the king of Saudi Arabia, assuring him there would be no criminal charges against anyone implicated in bribery in Britain's biggest arms deal.
In July 2005, Mr Blair assured the then crown prince, Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, who is now the Saudi King, that Britain would abandon an inquiry by the Serious Fraud Office into alleged massive corruption.
It concerned a £60 million ($146 million) "slush fund" allegedly set up by BAE Systems, Britain's biggest military contractor, to support the lifestyle of some members of the Saudi royal family.

Mr Blair told crown prince Abdullah during a visit to Riyadh, the Saudi capital, that the evidence would instead be offered to the Saudi authorities.

Sources with knowledge of the discussions say that even as the major fraud inquiry was expanding with the arrest of five British business executives, Mr Blair was telling crown prince Abdullah that the inquiry "was going nowhere".

Disclosure of the secret deal undermines a parliamentary statement made by British Attorney-General Lord Goldsmith last December that prosecutors, rather than Downing Street, had made the final decision to drop the inquiry.

The news comes as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development prepares to send inspectors to London to find out why the inquiry was dropped. The OECD rebuked the Government for its decision to drop the case.

The row flared last December after Lord Goldsmith announced the halt of the inquiry into the slush fund. The payments, in the form of lavish holidays, luxury cars, rented apartments and other perks, are alleged to have been made to ensure the Saudis continued to buy military supplies from BAE under the Al-Yamamah deal, rather than going to France or elsewhere.

The contract, worth £43 billion to date, has kept BAE in business for 20 years.

The inquiry had closed in on a series of secret Swiss bank accounts through which commissions had been paid. Sources close to the deal say the accounts were in the name of a Panamanian company ultimately controlled by a British-based businessman who is reported to have made £800 million from the arms deal. Some of the accounts showed payments to individuals connected to the Saudi royal family.

The Saudi ambassador in London delivered an ultimatum to Mr Blair that, unless the inquiry was dropped, the King would suspend diplomatic and intelligence ties with Britain.

He also threatened to halt the Al-Yamamah payments, putting 10,000 British military industrial jobs in jeopardy.

The Sunday Times

[whskyfan]

It concerned a £60 million (6 million) "slush fund" allegedly set up by BAE Systems, Britain's biggest military contractor, to support the lifestyle of some members of the Saudi royal family.

To support the lifestyle of some members of the Saudi royal family. !! Yep. it must be a rough life being a member of the Saudi Royal Family.

Blair is a politician, I think they are the same everywhere. They will say and do anything to protect their little corner of paradise.