Ex-head of BAE Systems is found to have secertly acquired two luxury flats from Saudi companies.
UK arms chief caught in secret deal with Saudis
Ex-head of BAE Systems is found to have
secertly acquired two luxury flats from Saudi companies.
Sun Feb 3, 2013 5:14PM GMT http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/02/03/287096/uk-arms-chief-caught-in-secret-deal/
Sir Dick Evans was investigated by the
Serious Fraud Office (SFO) over whether his flats worth in Mayfair, one of
London’s most expensive areas, were bought for him as a “kickback” using cash
creamed off from the al-Yamamah arms deal, the The Sunday Times reported.
However, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s intervention forced the
inquiries to be stopped over concerns about a diplomatic row between the UK and
the Saudi regime.
The newspaper said that the SFO was probing whether Evans’ flats, which are
jointly worth £6m, may have been linked to an arms deal with Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia, which is accused of brutal crackdown on peaceful anti-regime
protests, is considered as Britain's largest trading partner in the Middle East,
with bilateral trade worth more than £15 billion every year.
BGH/SSM/HE