Le SFO ne lâche pas sa proie (BAE) : la Tanzanie après l’Afrique du Sud

Le Special Fraud Office a la dent dure et de la suite dans les idées. Le Guardian aussi, du reste, qui suit fidèlement les traces corruptrices de l’énorme conglomérat BAE. Les réseaux corrupteurs de BAE semblent avoir atteint une constance structurelle qui fait de cette société quelque chose de complètement à part.

Cette fois (après Yamamah et l’Afrique du Sud), il s’agit de la Tanzanie, comme nous explique le Guardian. Nous avons d’abord l’exposé du délit, qui se passe en 2002, qui implique toujours les mêmes, où Tony Blair tient toujours le même rôle mirobolant de la vertu d’apparence soumise aux rudes lois de la corruption. Il s’agit d’un marché portant sur un système radar, dont la Tanzanie semble n’avoir jamais eu vraiment besoin, dont 30% du montant semblent avoir servi pour les frais de corruption.

«The UK's biggest arms supplier secretly paid a $12m commission into a Swiss account in a deal which led to Tanzania, one of the world's poorest countries, buying a controversial military radar system. A Tanzanian middleman, who has a long-standing relationship with military and government figures, has admitted that the sum was covertly moved to a Swiss account by BAE Systems, which is under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office.

»The back-door payment represented 30% of the contract value. The east African state had to borrow to finance the deal, which critics said was unnecessary and overpriced.

»Tony Blair supported the 2002 sale but former cabinet minister Clare Short says she and the chancellor, Gordon Brown, opposed it. […] Yesterday's admissions by the Tanzanian middleman, Sailesh Vithlani, led Ms Short to call for BAE's prosecution if the allegations were proved. She said the prime minister had been personally responsible for forcing the licence for the Tanzania deal through the cabinet.

»“No 10 insisted on letting this go ahead, when it stank,” she said. “It was always obvious that this useless project was corrupt.”»

Un second texte, plus d’“atmosphère”, nous donne une idée du climat justement, régnant autour de cette affaire, et de l’aura de toute-puissance qui accompagne BAE dans cette sorte de tractations.

«Behind the sultry languor of Coco Beach and the nonchalant good nature of ordinary Tanzanians, there lies an unexpected climate of fear in Dar es Salaam.

»The head of the anti-corruption bureau, Edward Hoseah, goes nowhere without bodyguards. One government contractor says: “Our position here is too vulnerable to be seen talking.” A European from an NGO says: “They'll throw me out if I go public”. And one knowledgeable journalist claims: “If I put my name on the radar story, I could be killed.”»

Mis en ligne le 15 janvier 2007 à 22H49