According to recent media reports, the fraud investigation into the BAE Systems over bribery charges was pulled by the government over safety concerns.
British newspaper The Daily Mail obtained legal documents under the Freedom of Information Act which covered a meeting between Britain’s ambassador to Saudi Arabia (Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles) who told the director of Britain’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) at a meeting on November 30, 2006 that ‘British lives on British streets were at risk’.
As a result, then Prime Minister Tony Blair had the SFO investigation closed on December 14, 2006.
Commentary: BAE Systems however remains under investigation in the United States relating to the same bribery charges and we doubt that the U.S. government will as easily cave to any possible political pressure. On another note – we are very impressed how quick the UK FOIA dictated release of meeting notes that only happened seven months ago. We suspect that such notes would not have been released as quickly stateside.
July 25th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
While I have no doubts that Blair & Co care for the safety of the British lives on British streets 24/7, the excuse does sound quite lame this time. The Saudis threatened to cancel some multibillion dollar contracts unless the bribery investigation involving some high-ranking princes is closed. The Brits promptly complied with the blackmail. This sends a message that bribery is okay if it benefits the British economy. It’s also serves as a prime example of hypocrisy or double standards, or as as some put it-’realpolitik’. It’s also shows how easy it is to intimidate Britain these days, which after the recent incident with the British Navy taken by Iranians ashould not come as a surprise to anyone. I bet this has made quite a few people feel nostalgic for Churchill and the empire.