U.S. reopens probe into bribery claims against Saudi prince

July 29, 2012 - 14:57
The U.S. Justice Department has reopened probe into allegations against Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud of receiving bribe sums from the UK’s largest arms dealer, BAE Systems.
 
The Justice Department is determined to continue the investigation, which was initially launched in Britain in 2006, under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act to find out whether the British company has complied with the U.S. anti-corruption laws, Mehr News Agency has reported. 
 
The Saudi Prince, who spent at least 20 years as the Saudi ambassador to the United States, received GBP hundreds of millions in bribes by the British contractor with the full knowledge of British Ministry of Defense, a report by state-run broadcaster BBC revealed for the first time in 2007.
 
The money was channeled to Prince Bandar’s account through a U.S. bank in Washington for over a decade. 
 
BAE Systems paid the bribe sums to the prince when Riyadh was negotiating with the British arms dealer to purchase weaponry. 
 
The then-Premier Tony Blair ordered the government to close the investigation into the case in December 2006, which triggered a widespread criticism of European officials and development and anti-corruption groups around the world. 
 
Prince Bandar has denied the bribery allegations categorically, claiming he acted lawfully at all times. 
 
(Source: Press TV)