Pentagon Probes Iraq Mobile Phone Licenses

[Khephra]

Pentagon Probes Iraq Mobile Phone Licenses
By REUTERS

Published: November 24, 2003


Filed at 2:40 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon is investigating allegations of corruption in the award of mobile telephone licenses in Iraq, a defense official said on Monday.

The award of the licenses has been clouded with controversy, delay and criticism of how the winning three Arab consortia were selected.

``There is an ongoing preliminary inquiry,'' a U.S. defense official said when asked about the status of the investigation by the Pentagon inspector general's office.

Three Arab consortia, led by Egypt's Orascom Telecom, Kuwait's National Mobile Telecommunications and MTC, also of Kuwait, were awarded a tender in October to operate in Iraq.

more.............

http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/politics/politics-iraq-contracts.html

[J B]

1. Well I'll be damned.

So after they ripped MTC's contract away on the grounds that it was US companies only who could set up the initial mobile phone networks, they bribed their way back into the country? And now the Pentagon is persecuting them again?

What a saga.