Questions about corruption dominated the questions to directors at the recent annual shareholders' meeting of Britain's biggest weapons merchants, BAE Systems.
In addition to some nominal shareholders organised by Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT), several “real” shareholders also embarrassed the board with related questions.
Outside the meeting too, street theatre (see picture) by CAAT activists featured in the financial pages of most serious papers the next day.
The biggest of the suspect deals -- with Saudi Arabia -- was investigated by the Serious Fraud Office until the SFO was ordered to drop its corruption enquiry late last year.
CAAT and Corner House are still trying to win a judicial review of the decision to drop the case (see recent PNs), and now legal authorities in Switzerland and the USA are investigating aspects of the same deal.