The Blackwater plot deepens | Jeremy Scahill | The Guardian

icon gravatar.comwww.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/nov/11/blac...
sent by Sparrows since 8 days 11 hours 42 minutes, published about 8 days 6 hours 52 minutes
An explosive report in the New York Times today could change that. The paper alleges that in the aftermath of the infamous 2007 Nisour Square massacre of 17 Iraqi civilians, top Blackwater officials "authorised secret payments" of about $1m into Iraq intending to bribe officials to allow Blackwater to remain in Iraq despite Baghdad's position that the company would be banned and the killers prosecuted. Blackwater continued to operate in Iraq for two years after the Iraqis announced the company would be kicked out – a fact that has baffled and angered Iraqis. In fact, Blackwater remains in Iraq to this day on a $200m contract that was recently extended by the Obama administration. The new report, if true, could help explain why Blackwater has survived so long in Iraq. It could also be a window into what may become the most serious legal issue facing Prince and other executives. Claims that Prince was aware of the bribery scheme – and that his deputy, the company president Gary Jackson, directed the transfer of the money to Blackwater's hub in Jordan, from where it was funnelled to a top Blackwater manager in Iraq – are reported in the New York Times. Such actions would be illegal under US law.
tags: blackwater, terrorist, corruption, us, iraq
5 commentscategory: Abuse of Power/Corruption karma: 156

comments

  1. #1    At the time of the alleged bribery scheme, FBI agents were on the ground in Baghdad conducting a criminal investigation of the incident and were, in part, relying on the cooperation of Iraqi officials – particularly from Iraq's interior ministry, the alleged intended recipients. If true, that means that Blackwater or its executives could face charges of obstruction of justice. There is a grand jury investigating Blackwater in its home state of North Carolina.---Among the most serious issues raised by this scandal is who else may have been involved. Was Blackwater freelancing or was there government involvement? At the time of the alleged bribery plan, Blackwater worked hand-in-glove with t...

    » ver todo el comentario
    written by Sparrows since 8 days 11 hours 40 minutesSparrows
  2. #2    Today, Blackwater works in Afghanistan for the state department, the CIA and the defence department. It protects US officials there and guards visiting congressional delegations. Democratic Representative Jan Schakowsky, a close friend of President Obama, says she was guarded by Blackwater on a recent trip to Afghanistan and that the company is involved with the security details of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Ambassador Richard Holbrooke when they visit the country. But as the investigations into Blackwater deepen and the scandals expand, perhaps the most urgent question is this: why does President Obama continue to use this company?
    written by Sparrows since 8 days 11 hours 38 minutesSparrows
  3. #3    Here's the NYT articles which does speak to the squeaky ground Blackwater is on at this time. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/11/world/middleeast/11blackwater.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&sq=blackwater%20bribed&st=cse&scp=3. However, since they remind me of a hydra-headed monster, they could come back again under another name.
    written by Sparrows since 8 days 11 hours 33 minutesSparrows
  4. #4    If you want to have high quality Nike air max shoes, you can click the websites below:
    http://www.airmaxshoessale.com
    http://www.airmaxsports.com
    http://www.breathmaxshoes.com
    http://www.maxshoessite.com
    written by hqd315 since 8 days 2 hours 28 minuteshqd315
  5. #5    WTF is this crap, Buzzer??????
    written by Sparrows since 7 days 11 hours 56 minutesSparrows
closed comments
Who has negatively flagged this story?


who are we
code: license, download  |  images license Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional    Valid CSS!   [Valid RSS]