14 DECEMBER
BRITAIN BLOCKS SFO INVESTIGATION INTO HUGE BRIBES PAID TO SAUDI PRINCE
14 December 2006 – The Attorney General Lord Goldsmith announced that it was not in the public interest for the Serious Fraud Office to be allowed to continue its investigation into allegations of enormous bribes paid to Saudi officials and royals to secure an arms deal described as “the biggest UK sale ever of anything to anyone.” Sir Dick Evans, CEO of the biggest British contractor involved, had even gone as far as swallowing sheep’s eyeballs to impress his Saudi guests.
The alleged fraud was on a massive scale with BBC’S Panorama Programme claiming in 2006 that one Saudi prince alone, ex Saudi ambassador to Washington Bandar bin Salman, had received a bribe which amounted to hundreds of millions of pounds.
Prime Minister Tony Blair defended the decision arguing that allowing the investigation was against the nation interest. However, the United States Department of Justice launched its own investigation into a US bank through which BAE Systems had funneled payments to Prince Bandar and the company was compelled, under a plea bargain, to pay a $400 million fine.