Halliburton reportedly agrees to pay Nigeria $250 million to drop bribery charges against Cheney

[Xicano]

The Raw Story:

The massive industrial conglomerate Halliburton has reportedly offered to pay $250 million to settle charges against its former chief executive, ex-Vice President Dick Cheney, in a multi-million dollar bribery case.

Nigeria filed charges against Cheney last week in an investigation of alleged bribery estimated at $180 million. Prosecutors named both Halliburton and KBR in the charges, as well as three European oil and engineering companies -- Technip SA, EniSpa, and Saipem Construction. Eleven Halliburton officials were arrested last month and freed on bail Nov. 29.

The charges allege that engineering contractor KBR, until 2007 a subsidiary of Halliburton, was among companies that paid bribes to secure a $6 billion contract for a natural gas plant. KBR pleaded guilty to the same bribes in a US court in 2009, and agreed to pay a $382 million fine. The Nigerian charges appear to stem from the US case -- though, in that trial, Cheney was never directly charged.

The $250 million figure would include a direct $130 million fine by the company and an agreement to repatriate another $120 million from Switzerland.

Representatives for Cheney and Halliburton met with Nigerian officials in London over the weekend.


http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/halliburton-reportedly-agrees-pay-nigeria-250-million-drop-bribery-charges-cheney-firm/

[Botany]

1. Is this not an admission of guilt?

Cheney needs to stand in court and answer for what he has done but he
never will.

BTW Halliburton can find that much money in their sofa cushions left over from their
no bid cost plus jobs in Iraq. The American people will get to pay off Nigerian to
protect Cheney's last days on earth.

[rucky]

2. Bribing their way out of bribery charges.

Rich.

[NightWatcher]

3. If I paid you some cash would you drop the bribery charge?

Um, do I even need to ask if that is the definition of bribery?

[KansDem]

4. "Money talks and bullshit walks"

Or, in this case, the bullshit rides in a limousine...

[Oceansaway]

5. K&R...n/t

[Uncle Joe]

6. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Xicano.

[Ichingcarpenter]

7. How many will that educate or feed?

i knew they would knell to the power of the corporations.

That money is chicken feed to Haliburton and real food and education to Nigeria

[nc4bo]

8. Damn. Can't wait to see this hit the evening news this tonight.

:sarcasm:

[pgodbold]

9. I wonder if there is any way to email these " Nigerian officials"

to plead with them not to drop the charges. Probably not.

[MindPilot]

13. I get email from "Nigerian Officials" all the time.

I could just respond to one of those and I'm sure they will pass the message along.

[MindPilot]

10. That money is being delivered to me by federal courier.

In fact the guy is waiting at the airport right now...all he needs is some information and $250 to process the package through customs...I can't tell you any more because this Transaction must remain in the most strict of Confidentiality.

[gratuitous]

11. Thank God it passed!

Can you imagine what might have happened if Halliburton didn't have this grease money just laying around, waiting to be used to make bribery charges go away? The shame and humiliation for America would never end! Fortunately, Halliburton has had the chance to stockpile all kinds of ready cash instead of having to pay taxes and help fund the society that protects it so well. And now they can keep chiseling the rest of us for another two years should any more unpleasantness crop up.

[postulater]

12. Good investment.

$180 million bribe plus $250 million fine produces $6 Billion contract.

pretty good return.

Cheney will make that investment every time. The fine is just a cost of doing business for them.