November 26, 2007

Arms dealing and corruption:

BAE case, No. 1

We are going to see where this subset of information comes from

I think that profitting off war is perhaps the MOST TERRIBLE OFFENSE of all! That and "lending" money to conduct them. Socially acceptable? Maybe, probably, most definitely but just plain WRONG.

I've already posted on the BAE scandal, most Guardian stories and then some follow up on Kerry's letters, as everyone smelled COVERUP! and so it was, but it keeps resurfacing.

I never ever see the words ARMS DEALING in relation to the Mulroney, just the words "AIRBUS SCANDAL" but I know deep in the bowels of THAT story, based on the fact that Mr. Shrieber is invovled, there is ARMS DEALING to be dealt with. It's such a naughty topic no one wants to talk about it!

But I am going to post about it as the mood hits, and as the leads roll in. Here is something I dug up on once such lead because I posted the German article about cointel pro that came out of Germany.

Now that got posted, not because I some arms dealing link but because I am so highly aware of cointel pro activities going on on the internet, and I was glad to see that someone in Europe would not consider ME to be a loon. I may be mouthy, but I am NOT a loon. I am however curious and I am also not amused by cointel pro activities!!

So here is the first of a many parter. OBVIOUSLY someone in Canada should be posting on the turn of events in the BAE scandal anyway. It's such a fascinating story some might get intrigued and want to push on the links and have a right good read about it. We are talking a $1 billion kickback to a Saudi Prince just for starters!! We are talking Maggie Thatcher England with all it's excess going to WAR extremes with Tony Blair after that and years and years and years of coverup, cronISM, corruption, rationalization of continuing human misery as the arms "race" (read: scam) continued unabated - and set the stage for some right good rolling into more and more and more NUKES and DEPLETED URANIUM.

So we'll see where the money goes and we'll see who THE PLAYERS are just as always. The links on this will including gambling, money addiction, psychopathology, and we could throw in idiocy and quite a few other DYS-nonfunctions, too. But first - PLAYER NO. !

You tell ME what Shakespearean character THIS reminds you off, if you will.

Count named in BAE corruption inquiry



· Swedish TV alleges secret payments in Czech deal
· Two other agents also accused of receiving cash


David Leigh and Rob Evans
Wednesday February 21, 2007
The Guardian


The Viennese laird of a Scottish castle has surfaced at the centre of fresh corruption allegations against Britain's biggest arms company.

Count Alfons Mensdorff-Pouilly, 54, husband of an Austrian politician, bought Dalnaglar castle in Perthshire after receiving millions in secret payments from BAE for promoting weapons deals, it was alleged last night. He was named in Sweden, where prosecutors have begun an inquiry into BAE. Swedish state TV last night identified three agents it said were implicated in commission payments of more than £4m on joint Anglo-Swedish sales. BAE rejected the allegations but declined to explain contracts which allegedly detailed payments to the count and to two prominent figures in Czech politics through offshore companies.

The allegations involved a controversial £400m deal to lease fighters to the Czech Republic in 2004. The Serious Fraud Office is investigating the deal in its worldwide inquiry into BAE.

Mike Turner, BAE's chief executive, has previously been named as a corruption suspect, along with former chairman Sir Dick Evans. The SFO is investigating BAE's secret offshore subsidiary, Red Diamond, set up to pay worldwide commissions through Swiss banks. Sweden's Saab company was a partner with BAE to supply Gripen fighters to the Czechs, who were anxious to join Nato and the EU after emerging from communism. Tony Blair went to Prague in April 2002 to lobby for the aircraft.

Swedish officials said yesterday secret commissions were "unacceptable". The chief prosecutor, Christer van der Kwast, said he was conducting preliminary investigations:

"Seeing as Saab is connected to BAE, the problem is, if bribes have been paid, whether Saab took any part in it."
Saab promised to cooperate. Last night's TV programme named BAE executive Steve Mead and alleged he discussed bribing Czech politicians. A source said Mr Mead had photos of Czech politicians on his office wall, marked with 'traffic lights' according to their loyalties. Mr Mead put down the phone when asked to comment. In 1995 the count, who was married to a minister, was named in a tape recording which led to an Austrian politician being convicted for corruption. He was alleged on the tape to be the conduit by which BAE would make back-door contributions to party funds in return for sales to Austria but was acquitted for lack of evidence.

According to documents, said to be from Czech judicial sources, broadcast last night BAE agreed to pass the count up to £40m if the aircraft sale went through. The arms company eventually paid more than £4m to a Panamanian company, Valurex, after a smaller lease deal went through.

Yesterday Count Alfons denied receiving offshore Czech commission payments through Valurex. He said:

"My company MPA has a contract with BAE since 1992 for consultancy services in eastern Europe. According to this contract I'm paid on a monthly basis."
Valurex said they were not guilty of any corrupt practices.

A second agent named was Richard Hava, then head of the Czech arms company Omnipol. Mr Mead had previously told the Guardian:

"Hava was not involved."
The documents detail agreements for 2% commission to him via an offshore company called Gabstar, which Mr Hava denied. The third agent was a former Canadian finance minister, Otto Jelinek, who later worked for the Czech government. Mr Jelinek said he had been paid by BAE while a private citizen. When asked about alleged payments through two offshore companies he said:
"It is personal, like my sex life."

BAE said yesterday they would not respond "while the SFO inquiry continues" and added it was legitimate to pay local advisers for "the achievement of new business". Their statement said:

"All BAE Systems advisers/consultants are clear that the company will not tolerate illegal actions."
The company said it was cooperating fully with SFO investigations into deals in the Czech Republic, Chile, Tanzania, South Africa and Romania.




Special report
The arms trade

Useful links
Campaign Against Arms Trade
Control Arms campaign site
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute
Federation of American Scientists
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Transparency International
saferworld.org.uk
Wisconsin Project
Foreign Policy magazine

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