MI5 quizzed over BAE 'slush fund'

[emad]

Sunday Times
David Leppard and Robert Winnett



THE security service MI5 is being asked to open its files as part of a wide-ranging criminal inquiry into alleged corruption by BAE Systems, Britain’s biggest defence company.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has made the request after becoming concerned that government intelligence agencies and possibly ministers may have been aware of the alleged bribery for years. Evidence of such prior official knowledge could seriously undermine any future prosecution.

An SFO team is already investigating a £60m “slush fund” said to have been set up by BAE to bribe Saudi officials. It is studying crates of documents describing how the firm purportedly lavished gifts, hospitality and cash on members of the Saudi Arabian royal family in order to win defence contracts spanning the past two decades.

The disclosure request to MI5 emerged after a security consultant came forward to allege that he was asked by intelligence officers to bug the homes, offices and doctors’ surgeries of senior Saudi royals involved in the Al-Yamamah arms deal in the 1990s.

More:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-1348446,00.html
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Chips are down for BANDAR and TURKI BIN NASSER.......

Edit: sorry about the bad punctuation glyphs, always have trouble in this internet place..............