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Volume 1 087 Scandal strikes

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    BAE's sales representative John Weston rushed back to London to prepare for a Christmas with his family and at the same time report to the head office and the Ministry of Defense.  In his view, the British government's series of diplomatic pressure has produced good results.  At least the rather annoying Chinese salesman Zhao Jinsong seems to be very honest these days and no longer frequently interacts with members of the Saudi royal family.

    Weston went to visit Defense Minister Heseltine with great satisfaction and reported the good news to him.

    "Mr. Baron, I am very excited to tell you that the Chinese have retreated like cowards. They will not have much impact on us. This business will definitely belong to the United Kingdom." Weston chuckled.  Said to Heseltine.

    Heseltine's expression was still hesitant: "China's top leader, Ping, was arrogant and rude before refusing to make concessions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prime Minister's wife were very angry, but you said that their sales staff had no other actions.  , which is incredible.¡±

    "Perhaps these Easterners are arrogant but respectful. Compared with Britain, which has a strong family background, they are nothing." Weston still has a strong attachment to the British Empire. In fact, John was still obsessed with the past decades later.  There are many bulls. They don't admit that they have become second-rate, and they still pull their eyeballs to the top of their heads.

    Heseltine nodded and said worriedly: "I heard that the French have had some interactions with the Chinese recently. This may be something that BAE needs to pay attention to."

    Weston waved his hand and said nonchalantly: "The French were already defeated by us a year ago. They are nothing to worry about. Of course, we will further follow up on the situation. I think the French intend to follow  It is impossible for China to cooperate to obtain orders from Saudi Arabia, because the Chinese have no need to do so.¡±

    His guess was actually quite correct. Dassault's main focus in seeking cooperation with China was not the first phase of Saudi Arabia's Al Yamaha order, but the order it wanted to capture from its own National Defense Commission regarding the replacement of nuclear vehicles.  , if it is possible to enter the second phase of the Al-Yamaha Agreement with Saudi Arabia, or to sell the aircraft to countries in the Middle East such as the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Bahrain and other countries, it is also a good option.

    At this moment, Heseltine's secretary suddenly broke in. He didn't knock on the door and was very rude. Heseltine and Weston both frowned and wanted to scold the young intern, but the intern  The student immediately placed a newspaper in front of them and said nervously: "Gentlemen, something serious is going to happen!"

    This is a copy of the Guardian, with a few big words clearly written on the front page: "Scandal: Secrets behind British-Saudi arms trade talks."

    Weston was so shocked that he did not bother to let the higher-status Minister of Defense read it first. He grabbed the newspaper and read ten lines at a time. It took him about half a minute to read the news, and after reading it, he felt all over his body.  It was as if all the effort had been taken away.

    Heseltine also hurriedly read it. The newspaper clearly stated: "In order to obtain this huge order, BAE used 'flexible and effective' means, including many officials from the Saudi Embassy in the UK.  Many important people including the military attache, the heads of state responsible for weapons procurement, and the royal family and nobles paid bribes. They also received various benefits, including free accommodation in London mansions, shopping and vacations and other luxury consumption projects, as well as large amounts of cash.  BAE spared no expense to the Saudi prince who was in charge of the transaction. It ordered a peacock blue Rolls-Royce sedan for the prince¡¯s wife and flew it to Saudi Arabia; it also purchased the world¡¯s most expensive car for the prince, a Dai.  The Maybach limousine produced by Muller Company worth 250,000 pounds, and even BAE generously paid for the prince's vacation expenses, including the expenses for his personal bodyguards and entourage of up to 35 people"

    The more Heseltine read, the more alarmed he became: "Reliable sources pointed out that BAE has sent large amounts of bribes to Saudi stakeholders through an offshore company called Poseidon. Many middlemen also  Those who benefited from this include a wealthy Kuwaiti businessman, a Lebanese politician, etc. What is even more shocking is that these are just the price paid to obtain the contract. BAE Company and Saudi Arabia agreed that if BAE successfully obtains this possibility.  It is the most expensive arms sales case in history, so BAE will continue to provide high commissions to Saudi Arabia. The amount may be an astronomical figure in the billions of pounds"

    The newspaper fell on the desk. Heseltine stared at Weston, who was already in a trance, dumbfounded, and said: "What on earth is going on? Is what the newspaper said true?"

    Weston subconsciously said: "How did they know?"

    But he soon realized that he had made a mistake and immediately changed his words: "No, these are not true, someone must be setting us up!"

    His eyes lit up immediately and he shouted:? shouted: "Yes, it must be a trick played by the Chinese. They are holding us back."

    Heseltine looked disgusted, "Without fire, there is no smoke (English proverb, similar to the Chinese 'fly does not bite a seamless egg'). If it is really the Chinese who are spreading rumors and slander, that will not be a problem, but if you  It was really done, and the company name and the time of the incident were recorded so clearly, you¡¯d better think about how to deal with the SFO (Serious-Fraud-Office, Serious Fraud Office) officials now.¡±

    Weston immediately panicked, because he had planned and participated in a lot of bribes and shady negotiations. In other words, if something really happened, he would be used as a scapegoat by the company, and then he would be used as a scapegoat.  The company warded off disasters, claiming it was a personal act rather than the company¡¯s intention.

    "Mr. Baron, please support us. You must know that this project can bring hundreds of thousands of jobs to the United Kingdom and bring tens of millions of financial revenue. It is also a positive development for our British defense products."  If the advertising effect falls into the trap of the Chinese, it will be a terrible blow to BAE and the United Kingdom!" Weston still insisted that as long as this matter can get the support of the government, then SFO  It is not necessarily possible to impose excessively severe sanctions on them, and it is possible to even turn a blind eye.

    Heseltine said angrily: "Sir, please pay attention to your statement. The United Kingdom is a democratic country. How can our government interfere with the fairness of justice?"

    But Heseltine soon wanted to take it back.

    The secretary who just came to deliver the newspaper once again delivered a newspaper, this time from The Sun, with an even more sensational title - "Monitoring the Saudi Royal Family: Direct Authorization from the Prime Minister's Wife."

    This time the dirty water was poured on the British government itself. For some reason, Weston looked at the panicked Heseltine and gloated for a while, as if this time everyone was a brother in trouble and no one could escape.  It¡¯s good to face it together.

    Not long ago, Prince Sultan had sent someone to return the monitoring device to the British. Perhaps considering that the previous bribe had some effect, His Royal Highness did not pursue it too much, but regarded this as a bargaining chip.  , the British government also plans to apologize privately.

    But now that the situation has been made public, even if the Saudi royal family can forgive in their hearts, they must not let Britain go in terms of words and diplomatic rhetoric.  The British people will definitely criticize the government's despicable actions, especially since Mrs. Thatcher was a controversial political figure. When she passed away, many British people even took to the streets to celebrate.  Her death and many of the actions of this government, such as the war against Argentina, the indifference to the independence forces in Northern Ireland, and the attack on the welfare system, have been criticized.

    But the impact was not over yet, the secretary sent a third newspaper, this time it was still on the front page, but the status was not as good as the first two newspapers. It was just a local tabloid in London, but the title was equally horrifying -  ¡ª"Prime Minister's Son Takes $15 Million Commission on Yingsha Deal".

    Heseltine and Weston looked at it and immediately knew that this matter had been completely corrupted. Their opponents had a large amount of intelligence, and every piece of this intelligence was fatal to Britain.  Mrs. Thatcher's son, Mark Thatcher, was not a good person in himself. He was nicknamed "Boy Mark" by the British media. He failed in his studies and was very ambitious. He applied for the accountant exam three times but failed.  When he was a racing driver, he disappeared during the Dakar Rally, causing his mother to cry in front of everyone.  In 1981, he also used his mother's political influence to sign a US$600 million contract with Oman on behalf of the British Cement Company, making a lot of money.

    This restless guy did indeed go through Al Yamaha¡¯s contract and received a lot of money. Neither Heseltine nor Weston knew the exact amount, but it was definitely not less, and it should not be as much as 15 million.

    In fact, this kid Mark never settled down. In 2004, he was arrested for funding a coup in Equatorial Guinea.

    There is no doubt that if BAE engages in bribery, ordinary British people may think it is not a big deal, or if someone is spying on Saudi Arabia, even those who have no bottom line of conscience will think it does not matter.  But if this matter involves the Prime Minister's family, then it will be a different matter.  It was very controversial before that Mark Boy used his mother's reputation to obtain huge contracts. This time, he actually acted as a middleman in the arms sales case to obtain improper income. Not only will some people be disgusted by this absolutely illegal behavior, but also those who spread rumors.  Mrs. Chel's political opponents will also take the opportunity to put pressure on the government and even launch a large-scale movement to overthrow the government.

    Holding three newspapers, Defense Minister Heseltine was shaking all over. He could not imagine what kind of people he had provoked.?.
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