Will Saudi Arabia's attempt to silence kickback allegations succeed?

[JDPriestly]

This story about Saudi Arabia's attempt to end the investigations of kickbacks to its royal family from defense contracts with the UK is one of the biggest in recent news. Yet even here on DU we are not talking about it. If the Saudi royals are receiving significant kickbacks from the British, how much do you think they are getting from our munitions manufacturers? I realize we don't know much about this story yet, but please let's watch it. Let's keep it alive.


SAUDI ARABIA is threatening to suspend diplomatic ties with Britain unless Downing Street intervenes to block an investigation into a £60m “slush fund” allegedly set up for some members of its royal family.

A senior Saudi diplomat in London has delivered an ultimatum to Tony Blair that unless the inquiry into an allegedly corrupt defence deal is dropped, diplomatic links between Britain and Saudi Arabia will be severed, a defence source has disclosed.

The Saudis, key allies in the Middle East, have also threatened to cut intelligence co-operation with Britain over Al-Qaeda.

They have repeated their threat that they will terminate payments on a defence contract that could be worth £40 billion and safeguard at least 10,000 British jobs.

http://www.rawstory.com/showoutarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.timesonline.co.uk%2Farticle%2F0%2C%2C2087-2459780%2C00.html

[MannyGoldstein]

1. Yes.

"Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder."
- George Washington

[Auntie Bush]

2. Wouldn't that be considered blackmail? I wonder

if the same thing will happen to the US when and if the Dems start investigations? :shrug: Talk about the price of oil going high!