Old Middle East Arms Scandal Drips Again: Viva Yamama
“Saudi Arabia receives two jet fighters as part of the controversial al-Yamama deal…” Middle East Online
An “old” scandal is hitting the news again. It is a scandal that will keep dripping, keep on giving for years to come.
Al-Yamama (BEAS-Saudi) deal created much controversy amid investigations by the British serious frauds office (SFO) of commissions (called bribes in impolite circles) allegedly paid to Prince Bandar Bin Sultan, former ambassador to Washington, former unofficial Bush foreign policy adviser, and current chief of Saudi National Security. The bribe, sorry, commission was to the tune of $2 billion.
Tony Blair got involved while prime minister and he forced the SFO to close the investigation, basically covering up the affair. Tony Blair got his just rewards by being appointed special international envoy to the Middle East. He achieved zilch (nada, rien, nechevo) in the Middle East. However, better yet, he got a better reward for his “services” by signing multi-million-dollar contracts with Gulf govrenments as a (inactive) consultant.
Cheers
mhg
Comments