£468.000 pour rendre BAE “plus blanc que blanc”

BAE a annoncé le 15 juin l’installation de la commission d’enquête sur ses pratiques éthiques, commission présidée par l’ancien Chief Justice, l’honorable Lord Woolf, pour la somme de £468.000 pour les neuf prochains mois que durera l’enquête (deux jours de travail par semaine, soit £6.000 par jour de travail, a précisé Woolf). BAE insiste pour préciser que cette idée de commission éthique a largement précédé l’actuelle phase (Prince Bandar) du scandale, et que Lord Woolf a été contacté pour la première fois le 10 mai.

La présentation de cette nomination qu’en font aujourd’hui l’Independent et le Times montre que l’initiative est due au président de BAE, Dick Olver, ancien dirigeant de BP, et qu’elle s’oppose à la politique du CEO de BAE, Mike Turner, adepte du secret maximal. Les différentes personnalités impliquées dans cette opération insistent bien entendu sur son caractère indépendant, étant admis que le principal obstacle sur la voie de cette commission sera le crédit qu’on lui accordera.

Selon l’Independent :

«Yesterday, Lord Woolf said he would not have wanted to take on a role at BAE that included “an inquest” into the Al Yamamah affair. But he insisted his appointment had not been made simply to head off criticism of the company's dealings with Saudi Arabia.

»Lord Woolf's committee is to complete a report on the ethics of BAE's policies and practices, which the company has promised to publish in full. It also said it would act on Lord Woolf's recommendations.

»“That's quite a remarkable thing for a company of BAE's size,” Lord Woolf said. “If I thought this report was going to be window-dressing, I would never have accepted this job.”

»Mr Olver also insisted that BAE had not set up the committee simply in order to restore the company's reputation after widespread criticism of the Al Yamamah deal since the Serious Fraud Office announced last December that it would drop its investigation into the affair.

»“This investigation will not go back and look at things that have already been exhaustively looked at by other people,” Mr Olver said. “But the inquiry is not a fig-leaf.”»

Le Times explique les dissenssions internes qu’exprime la mise en place de cette commission, — dont certains jugent qu’elle est d’abord destinée à tenter de rassurer Washington. Le journal conservateur explique que la commission sera sans doute beaucoup plus soupçonneuse et intrusive qu’on ne croit, ne serait-ce que parce que les personnalités qui y participent, et Woolf en premier, ont une réputation d’intégrité à défendre. Peut-être même, craignant les rumeurs de bienveillance, montreront-ils plus d’acharnement qu’un service réellement indépendant. Dommage que la commission n’ait pas Yamamah dans ses attributions…

«And the Woolf panel is likely to prove to be more critical and have more lasting repercussions than many people – including BAE insiders – expect. It signals that the faction looking to come clean and move on, which seems to be headed by Dick Olver, the chairman, is gaining ground over the faction generally associated with Mike Turner, the chief executive who has turned around the company’s operations in recent years but is still seen as one of the executives determined to defend the past whatever the cost. As the Woolf panel delves into patterns of behaviour in the company, it is more likely to expose the different agendas of BAE’s chairman and chief executive than bring them together.

»Lord Woolf will be well aware that anything less than a thorough and challenging examination of the practices at the company will not only invalidate the ethics panel and further sap public confidence in BAE – it will also undermine Lord Woolf’s reputation. He stands to lose the most from a whitewash.»

Mis en ligne le 16 juin 2007 à 15H48