[Ninong]

Drug Smuggling Saudi Prince Gets 10 Years

A French court sentenced a Saudi prince to 10 years in prison for abusing his role in a large-scale cocaine smuggling operation. But the prince isn't likely to see the inside of a cell anytime soon.

Saudi Prince Nayef bin Sultan bin Fawwaz al-Shaalan, believed to be living in Saudi Arabia, did not appear at today's hearing, or the trial which preceded it, and was sentenced in absentia by the court. It also fined him $100 million for his role in the plot to smuggle two tons of cocaine from Colombia to an airport outside Paris in 1999.

Nine other defendants were also convicted in absentia for their part in the operation.

The prince was found guilty of using his diplomatic status and a 727 jet belonging to the Saudi royal family to transport the cocaine.

The United States has also indicted al-Shaalan with conspiracy to possess and distribute cocaine but does not have a policy of trying cases in absentia. In 2005, a U.S. court found two other members of the operation guilty and sentenced them each to 24 years in prison and to pay $25,000 in fines.

Former Drug Enforcement Administration official Tom Raffanello, who oversaw the U.S. investigation of Prince Nayef al-Shaalan, applauded the sentence of the French court. "I think it is a great thing. I wish more countries would try criminals in absentia, when it's obvious they have avoided prosecution."

The prince is said to be living in Saudi Arabia, which does not have an extradition treaty with the United States. It also does not have one with France.

"Because of that we have to catch a break in order to catch him," said Raffanello.

Prince Nayef al-Shaalan has denied the smuggling charges and claims he has been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Saudi government.

P.S. -- This is the same Saudi royal family that threatened to cut off diplomatic relations with the U.K. if Tony Blair didn't shut down the British government's investigation of the multi-million dollar slush fund set up by a British contractor to pay off the Saudi royal family.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by Ninong

P.S. -- This is the same Saudi royal family that threatened to cut off diplomatic relations with the U.K. if Tony Blair didn't shut down the British government's investigation of the multi-million dollar slush fund set up by a British contractor to pay off the Saudi royal family.

Poor Tony Blair! He thought he would have an uneventful G8 meeting in Germany where he could say adieu to his friends and then the BBC breaks with the story on the hundreds of millions of dollars that the British defense contractor, BAE Systems, has been paying to the Saudi royal family.

And, it looks like the key player on the Saudi team was none other than Prince Bandar bin Sultan, long-time close personal friend of the Bush family. You might remember Bandar, he was Saudi ambassador to the U.S. from 1983 to 2005. Dubya's nickname for him is "Bandar Bush" because he has been considered a part of the Bush family for so many years. In fact, he's so close that George W. Bush notified him of the details of the Iraqi invasion even before he notified Colin Powell, his own secretary of state!!!

LONDON — A Saudi prince received millions of dollars for his own use as part of Britain's largest arms deal, the British Broadcasting Corp. says.

In upcoming report from its Panorama program, the BBC says that the payments went to Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who negotiated the $80-billion (U.S.) Al-Yamamah arms deal to sell 100 warplanes in 1985.

BAE Systems, the prime contractor, has denied that it ever violated British law in relation to the contract. Prince Bandar refused to comment, the BBC said in a statement Wednesday.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has taken responsibility for calling off an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office into allegations that BAE Systems ran a $120-million “slush fund” offering sweeteners to Saudi officials in return for contracts as part of the Al-Yamamah deal.

Speaking at the G8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, Mr. Blair refused to comment on the allegations raised in the BBC report but repeated his long-standing defence of his government's actions.

“This investigation, if it had gone ahead, would have involved the most serious allegations in investigations being made into the Saudi royal family and my job is to give advice as to whether that is a sensible thing in circumstances where I don't believe the investigation incidentally would have led anywhere except to the complete wreckage of a vital strategic relationship for our country,” he said. “Quite apart from the fact that we would have lost thousands, thousands of British jobs.”

(P.S. -- As I said in my previous post, Blair was threatened by the Saudi royal family. They told him they would cut off diplomatic relations with the U.K. and cancel all contracts.)

The BBC report says that up to $240-million a year was sent by BAE from the U.K. to two Saudi embassy accounts in Washington. There was no distinction between the accounts of the embassy and official government accounts, the BBC said.

P.S. -- Trivia: Prince Bandar bin Sultan is the son of the current Saudi Crown Prince. He has a cozy ski cottage in Aspen that he listed for sale last year. He said he doesn't have time to enjoy it anymore now that he has been reposted to Saudi Arabia. It's still on the market -- asking price is $135,000,000.00. It's 56,000 square feet with 15 bedrooms and 16 bathrooms. All 16 bathrooms have 18 karat gold fixtures. It sits on 95 acres on the top of a mountain in Aspen.

[Ninong]

This Australian version of the story is more detailed:

Prince Bandar was paid about $2 billion over the years!

BRITAIN'S largest arms company is alleged to have secretly paid Prince Bandar bin Sultan of Saudi Arabia more than £1 billion ($A2.4 billion) in connection with Britain's biggest-ever weapons contract.

A series of payments from BAE was allegedly channelled through a US bank in Washington to an account controlled by one of the most colourful members of the Saudi ruling clan, who spent 20 years as their ambassador in the US.

It is claimed that payments of £30 million were paid to Prince Bandar every quarter for at least 10 years.

It is alleged by insider legal sources that the money was paid to him with the knowledge and authorisation of Ministry of Defence officials under the Blair Government and its predecessors.

For more than 20 years, ministers have claimed they knew nothing of the secret commissions, which were outlawed by Britain in 2002.

An inquiry by the Serious Fraud Office into the transactions behind the £43 billion al-Yamamah arms deal, signed in 1985, is believed to have uncovered details of the payments to Prince Bandar.

But the investigation was halted last December by the SFO after a review by the Attorney-General, Lord Goldsmith.

He said it was in Britain's national interest to halt the investigation, and that there was little prospect of achieving convictions. Tony Blair said he took "full responsibility" for the decision.

However, according to those familiar with the discussions at the time, Lord Goldsmith had warned colleagues that British "Government complicity" was in danger of being revealed.

The end of the investigation provoked an outcry from anti-corruption campaigners and led to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development starting its own probe.

The fresh allegations may also cause BAE problems in the US, where corrupt payments to foreign politicians have been outlawed since 1977.

The allegations of payments to Prince Bandar are bound to ignite fresh controversy over the original deal and the aborted SFO investigation. The Saudi diplomat is known to have played a key role with Mrs Thatcher in setting up Britain's biggest-ever series of weapons deals.

For more than 20 years al-Yamamah, Arabic for "dove", has involved the sale of 120 Tornado aircraft, Hawk warplanes and other military equipment.

According to legal sources familiar with the records, BAE Systems made cash transfers to Prince Bandar every three months for 10 years or more. BAE drew the money from a confidential account held at the Bank of England that had been set up to facilitate the al-Yamamah deal.

Up to £2 billion a year was deposited in the accounts as part of a complex arrangement allowing Saudi oil to be sold in return for shipments of Tornado aircraft and other arms.

SFO investigators led by assistant director Helen Garlick first stumbled on the alleged payments, according to legal sources, when they unearthed highly classified documents at the Defence Ministry during their three-year investigation.

Prince Bandar, now head of Saudi's national security council, was asked about the alleged payments this week but did not respond.

BAE Systems also would not explain the alleged payments. The company said: "Your approach is in common with that of the least responsible elements of the media — that is to assume BAE Systems' guilt in complete ignorance of the facts."

[wgscott]