BAE and corruption

Yesterday, a high court judge ruled against the Serious Fraud Office decision, ordered by the government in December 2006, to drop an investigation into alleged bribery by British Aerospace of Saudi officials during the negociations of a large contract to sell airplanes in the 1980s. It emerged that the Saudi government had threatened the Blair government to withdraw terrorist intelligence information if the investigation continued, and that the British government had yielded to this blackmail. The high court decision was hailed as a success for the rule of law by the NGOs which had filed the complaint. It will do no good to Blair's already tarnished reputation. Pressure will now grow to reopen the investigation into BAE practices - a sensitive decision for Blair's successor.