Kaye Stearman
Events have moved rapidly since 5 February, when the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) announced a plea bargain with arms giant BAE Systems (see PN 2519).
As reported last issue, activist organisations Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) and The Corner House believe that the SFO decision is unlawful and have requested a judicial review of the plea bargain.
They contend that the SFO did not follow correct prosecution guidance (including its own guidance) on plea bargains. They also…
On 5 February, a brief press release from the serious fraud office (SFO) announced that it had reached a settlement with BAE Systems, the UK’s largest arms company. Four months earlier, the SFO had made headlines announcing that it intended prosecute BAE for alleged bribery and corruption relating to arms deals in the Czech Republic, Romania, South Africa and Tanzania.
The settlement saw all charges dropped in regard to the first three countries, with BAE pleading guilty to…
On 1 October, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) announced that it was taking steps to prosecute BAE Systems in relation to arms deals in Eastern Europe and Africa. This move again places the spotlight on the activities of BAE, Britain’s largest arms company.
BAE is alleged to have paid bribes in the form of commissions to “advisers” to clinch sales. The SFO began investigations several years ago into BAE’s alleged corruption and false accounting in the Czech Republic, Romania,…
On 13 July the UK government announced that it had revoked five arms export licences to Israel, reportedly on the grounds that the exports breached “Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria”.
These criteria state that arms exports should not be used for “internal repression” (although Gaza and the West Bank are not Israeli territory). These and other arms export licensing criteria have generally been ignored in relation to Israel, up till now.
The…
Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) welcomed the ruling on 21 May, by the court of appeal, that the Metropolitan police broke the law in its routine surveillance of lawful and peaceful activity, including storing photographs on police computers.
On 27 April 2005, police officers openly photographed and followed CAAT staff and supporters after they had attended an AGM of a public company, Reed Elsevier, in their capacity as shareholders, to question directors about the acquisition of…
