http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-20/0702140080221110.htm UK firms to be investigated on bribes paid to Saddam's regime <javascript:history.back();>
<http://www2.irna.ir/en/news/menu-234/key-83633/> London, Feb 14 IRNA -- Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has launched an investigation into allegations that a number of major UK-based firms paid bribes to Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq. The firms being targeted include the drug giants GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly as well as international oil traders Mabey and Johnson, the Guardian newspaper reported Wednesday. Several British companies were among a long list of international firms accused in a two-year old UN report of paying bribes under the discredited oil-for-food sanctions regime, which enabled Saddam to illicitly amass an estimated Dlrs 1.8 billion before his overthrow. The British inquiry, which has been given an initial fund of Pnds 22 million (Dlrs 41 m) over the next three years, was ordered by the SFO director, Robert Wardle. Under their wide-ranging powers, investigators can order companies to disclose documentation, call witnesses for questioning and ultimately could launch criminal prosecutions. The UN report, compiled by Paul Volcker, a former chairman of the US Federal Reserve, accused GSK of paying bribes worth Dlrs 1 m to win nine contracts valued at Dlrs 11.9m to supply medicines. But according to the Guardian, GSK has denied any wrongdoing and said the UN oil-for-food programme was run in the UK by the Department of Trade and Industry. Another company, Eli Lilly, was accused of securing a Dlrs 3.2m contract with a bribe of Dlrs 343,000, while AstraZeneca was named as having paid bribes of Dlrs 162,000 to secure three contracts worth Dlrs 2.9m. The Volcker report, citing banking records, also alleged that Mabey and Johnson paid a Dlrs 202,000 kickback between 2001 and 2003 and in return was given a Dlrs 3.6m contract by the Iraqis. It also identified a number of UK-linked oil companies and individuals accused of profiting from backdoor deals with Saddam Hussein. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
