I am a Dragon. I emerge from my Egg. Or, perhaps more politely, 'National interest' halts arms corruption inquiry.
From the grauniad article: A major criminal investigation into alleged corruption by the arms company BAE Systems and its executives was stopped in its tracks yesterday when the prime minister claimed it would endanger Britain's security if the inquiry was allowed to continue. The remarkable intervention was announced by the attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, who took the decision to end the Serious Fraud Office inquiry into alleged bribes paid by the company to Saudi officials, after consulting cabinet colleagues. In recent weeks, BAE and the Saudi embassy had frantically lobbied the government for the long-running investigation to be discontinued, with the company insisting it was poised to lose another lucrative Saudi contract if it was allowed to go on. This came at a time when the SFO appeared to have made a significant breakthrough, with investigators on the brink of accessing key Swiss bank accounts. However, Lord Goldsmith consulted the prime minister, the defence secretary, foreign secretary, and the intelligence services, and they decided that "the wider public interest" "outweighed the need to maintain the rule of law". Mr Blair said it would be bad for Britain's security if the SFO was allowed to go ahead, according to the statement made in the Lords by Lord Goldsmith. The statement did not elaborate on the nature of the threat.
The funny bit is in its statements last night the government said commercial considerations had played no part in the decision but I don't think they are fooling anyone.
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Comments
Another day, another massive arms sale to a country which doesnt need them. It is also more evidence that in this regard labour are as bad as the Conservatives.
Posted by: guthrie | December 15, 2006 10:33 AM
And yet our PM thinks he can go around lecturing other countries on democracy and the rule of law... sometimes I just want to emigrate.
Posted by: gengar | December 15, 2006 11:24 AM
I'm not sure there's anywhere left to emigrate to.
Posted by: guthrie | December 15, 2006 1:43 PM
I don't see the point in being in power if you have to behave like those you detested when you were in opposition - unless you've become like them... But, I guess everyone not a Blairite/NL/Brownite has pretty much left Labour, so as other posts hint at, Labour is pretty much conservative now.
Posted by: Peter Hearnden | December 17, 2006 5:36 AM