Iraqis Probe Blackwater After PAYOFF Charges

New York Times:

A senior Iraqi official said Wednesday that he had ordered an investigation into whether top officials of Blackwater Worldwide approved of bribes to Iraqi government officials after shootings by Blackwater guards in 2007 left 17 Iraqi civilians dead.

In an interview with CNN, Iraq's interior minister, Jawad al-Bolani, said that his ministry was beginning an investigation that was prompted by a report in The New York Times on Tuesday that top Blackwater officials approved cash payments intended to silence criticism and win support for the company after the shootings in Nisour Square in Baghdad.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[brady61995]

obama should have a panel to investigate contractors that were paid for with my grandchildrens taxes on any wrong doing and fine and recoup the massive payout that happened under bush and should stop the money flow that is still going on today.

[keepacoolhead]

Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the whole neo con avant-garde, the profiteers that were responsible for getting us into this mess should stand trial for treason and executed.

[helonias]

It okay just as long as Blackwater isn't providing abortions.

[PepperzMom]

Actually, they did. Any male killed prevented future kids....

[helonias]

It seems that the Iraqis want even more money.

[JessWonderin]

This sick event is the most blatant example of how the Right controlled the Bush Administration . . . in time we will find that Bush will make the Grant Administration look like a paragon "of truth justice and the American way . . . "

sad to see so few comments on this . . . explains why the profiteers are so emboldened in taking over what used to be a government "of the People, and the people".

[RRoadrunner]

This is going nowhere. Black Water is an arm of our government and out of the reach of the law. Too bad since these crusaders are creating mayhem.

[Sub Libertate Quietum]

Iraqi's are not too pleased with this "BLOOD FOR OIL" former ambassador:

"A former US ambassador who played an instrumental role in the drafting of Iraq's constitution stands to make "hundreds of millions" of dollars from an oil deal he struck that was only possible because of a constitutional provision he helped push through, news reports say."

"A story first broken by the Norwegian newspaper Dagens Naeringsliv earlier this month and moved forward by the Times states that Peter Galbraith, a former US ambassador to Croatia and staffer at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was receiving compensation from Norwegian oil firm DNO when he helped negotiate the Iraqi constitution."

"According to the Times, Galbraith was instrumental in helping Kurdistan gain semi-autonomy under Iraq's constitution, which gave the Kurdish regional government control over future oil development. At the time, by Galbraith's own admission, he was being paid by DNO to help negotiate oil contracts with the Kurdish government."

"Records obtained by the Times show Galbraith received a five-percent stake in Kurdistan's Tawke oil field, which was developed by DNO and struck oil in late 2005."

"The Times has no estimate of the value of Galbraith's stake in that oil field, but notes that a lawsuit involving it seeks damages in the hundreds of millions."

" A report in the Times of London puts Galbraith's share at 'reportedly $100 million.'"

http://rawstory.com/2009/11/diplomat-millions-iraqi-oil-fields/

[JessWonderin]

Think the Iraqis could bribe Blackwater into an act of "friendly fire"?????

[Decipherer]

I find it saddening that this hugely important and deeply disturbing item merits all of 16 comments since it was first posted yesterday, while anything involving Sarah Palin and other nonsense generates thousands.

What is up with that, and what does that say about HP readers? In my view, it is not good.

[tbone99]

Some Iraqi officials are opening an investigation ...to find out why THEY didn't get some payola.

Wonder how much Eric Prince and other security contracters paid Bush officials to get in the game?

Oh yeah - thats called lobbying.

[falco]

Why waste their time. Blackwater is too well connected to suffer any repercussions for it's actions. Kinda like the bankers.

[TariqMahmoudi]

Is anyone else not at all surprised by these allegations? I'm not! These guys in charge over in Iraq are a bunch of crooked liars. As an Iraqi American, I am ashamed our government still props up Maliki and gives him cover to continue wrecking Iraq. I am invigorated for change, though. I'm planning on voting for Ayad Jamal Aldin and his Ahrar Party in the upcoming parliamentary elections. His program to bring security to Iraq and share its vast material wealth with is citizens is a worthy goal. Finally, we might have someone who can bridge the sectarian divide over there, stand up to Iran and let us get our troops out of there.

[imusintheevening]

Where is the US investigation. This activity is a clear violation of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act's anti-bribery provisions carry criminal penalties of up to five years in prison for individuals and fines reaching $2 million for companies, specifies that "U.S. persons" are forbidden from paying or offering to pay "anything of value" to a "foreign official" with a "corrupt purpose" of gaining business. The Justice Department has the duty to investigate.

[lthuedk 1]

Eliminate the American SS.

http://www.light-to-dark.com/blackwater_jesus_at_republican_mecca.html

[Decipherer]

You can say this about the original SS -- they followed orders from the top to a "T."

Blackwater? Not so much.

[nicekappa1]

Has President Obama ever responded to questions (or been questioned) about Blackwater in any of his press conferences?

[KindOne]

cahill: Obama may be afraid of Blackwater
http://rawstory.com/2009/11/scahill-obama-afraid-blackwater/

[mcantwell]

Let me guess...the same Iraqi Officials who accepted the bribes from Blackwater will be the ones to do the "Probe."

[Paula Ann]

got that right!!