Blair did secret deal with Saudis

David Leppard, London
March 19, 2007

BRITISH Prime Minister Tony Blair struck a secret deal with the king of Saudi Arabia,
assuring him there would be no criminal charges against anyone implicated in bribery
in Britain's biggest arms deal. In July 2005, Mr Blair assured the then crown prince, Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, who is now the Saudi King, that Britain would abandon an inquiry by the Serious Fraud Office into alleged massive corruption.

It concerned a £60 million ($146 million) "slush fund"
allegedly set up by BAE Systems, Britain's biggest military contractor,
to support the lifestyle of some members of the Saudi royal family.
Mr Blair told crown prince Abdullah during a visit to Riyadh,
the Saudi capital, that the evidence would instead be offered to the Saudi authorities.

Sources with knowledge of the discussions say that even as the major fraud inquiry was
expanding with the arrest of five British business executives, Mr Blair was telling crown prince
Abdullah that the inquiry "was going nowhere".>>>>

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