SFO wrong to drop BAE inquiry, court rules

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

11.45am BST update
SFO wrong to drop BAE inquiry, court rules

Peter Walker and agencies
guardian.co.uk, Thursday April 10 2008

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) acted unlawfully in dropping
an investigation into alleged bribery in an arms deal between
BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia, the high court ruled today.

In a stunning victory for the activist groups that launched
the legal challenge, the two judges said Tony Blair's
government and the SFO caved in too readily to threats by
Saudi Arabia over intelligence sharing and trade.

In an often scathing judgement, Lord Justice Moses and
Justice Sullivan rejected the SFO's argument that it was
powerless to resist the Saudi threats.

"So bleak a picture of the impotence of the law invites at
least dismay, if not outrage," they said.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/10/bae.armstrade