~theguardian-world | Bookmarks (3)

Government auditors must look into claims of complicity in corruption on arms deals with UK, says Labour peerAlleged Ministry of Defence complicity in the “national scandal” of bribery on arms deals in Saudi Arabia must be investigated by government auditors, a senior Labour politician has said.Peter Hain, the antiapartheid campaigner and peer, said in a letter to the National Audit Office (NAO) that a...

Documents show officials stressing need to ‘keep the Saudis on side’ after revelations about notorious al-Yamamah dealBritain’s Ministry of Defence moved questionable payments through its own bank account amid one of the biggest corruption scandals in history, despite concerns the money could be pocketed by the Saudi royal family.Previously confidential documents show how the MoD agreed to make the payments to a Saudi bank...

Jury acquits Jeffrey Cook and John Mason after lawyers argue payments were authorised by UK and Saudi governmentsTwo men have been acquitted of paying bribes totalling millions of pounds to high-ranking Saudis after they argued that they had been unfairly prosecuted.Jeffrey Cook and John Mason had been accused of bribing a Saudi prince and his associates to secure and maintain a huge defence deal...