Corruption charge deals fresh blow to Iraq handover

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/11/23/wirq23.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/11/23/ixnewstop.html

American-led efforts to establish a civilian government in Iraq were further damaged yesterday by reports in Washington that the Pentagon is investigating allegations of high-level corruption within the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA).

The CPA refused to comment yesterday on the claims that two of its officials and a senior Iraqi politician are being investigated for allegedly taking bribes over contracts for mobile telephone networks.

The controversy broke out as a civilian aircraft flying out of Baghdad was forced to make an emergency landing with its wing on fire, after apparently being hit by a surface-to-air missile.

The cargo Airbus A300, belonging to the courier company DHL, was forced to return to ground just 10 minutes after take-off from Baghdad International Airport at 9am. Nobody was hurt. Earlier anti-coalition insurgents had detonated suicide car bombs, killing at least 15 people, at two police stations north of Baghdad.

more

[ret5hd]

1. I think one clue as to why the U.S. let this info out is...

contained in the second quoted paragraph.

(note: there is no way in hell that i beieve the CPA is even remotely free of corruption)

wasn't the U.S. all in a tizzy over CPA choosing the European cell-phone standard (and European contractor) rather than the U.S. standard (and U.S. contractor)?

[htuttle]

3. Yes, that was my first thought when I heard about this the other day

I can't remember the names of the companies (anyone else remember this), but this was the issue where a regional company had come in and set up a cell phone system without asking, and the US wanted them to take it down (since the contract had gone to MCI, IIRC).

I think they ended up allowing them to leave the network up, due to public outcry (people wanted phone service). This would be a typical Bushian way of getting them out of the way.

I think the company involved with the 'contract jumping' was from Bahrain, IIRC.

[reprobate]

2. Can you say Chilabi(sp?)

Well George, wha do you think will happen when you put a convicted embezzler in charge? Some of us tried to warn you, but would you listen? Nope, just kept on keeping on, screw what anyone else says.

You wanted chilabi because he was saying just what you wanted to hear. Besides which, what is money when you got bombs, right?

George, you have never been successful at anything, have you? Well I guess now is not the time to start, huh?