December 21, 2003

Cheney faces prosecution: report

The LNS posted a news story on this investigation
several months ago. It is still alive.

Vive le France!

Australian AP: A French official is examining whether to prosecute US Vice President Dick Cheney over alleged complicity in the abuse of corporate assets dating from the time he was head of the services company Halliburton, the French newspaper Le Figaro said.

End the War Profiteering of the Bush Cabal Cronies,
Show Up for Democracy in 2004: Defeat Bush (again!)

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/12/21/1071941598014.html

Cheney faces prosecution: report
December 21, 2003 - 12:05PM

A French official is examining whether to prosecute US
Vice President Dick Cheney over alleged complicity in
the abuse of corporate assets dating from the time he
was head of the services company Halliburton, the
French newspaper Le Figaro said.

The case stems from a contract by a consortium
including the American company Kellogg, Brown and Root
(KBR), a Halliburton subsidiary, and a French company,
Technip, to supply a gas complex to Nigeria, the
newspaper reported.

A Paris investigating magistrate has been conducting
investigations since October into allegations that
$US180 million ($A243.18 million) was paid in secret
commissions during the late 1990s up to 2002 from
funds established by the consortium in Madeira, the
report said.

Cheney was Halliburton's chief executive between 1995
and 2000.

In a letter to the attorney-general's department,
magistrate Reynaud van Ruymbeke ruled out directly
prosecuting Cheney on a charge of bribing foreign
officials, Le Figaro said.

But the official did not exclude the possibility of
prosecution on the grounds of complicity in misuse of
corporate assets, it added.

©2003 AAP

Posted by richard at December 21, 2003 09:51 AM