By Bobby Rajabi
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East
WASHINGTON, D.C., United States – Senior Blackwater executives approved the payment of over one million dollars to Iraqi officials. A report by the New York Times alleges that these payments came after the company’s guards killed seventeen Iraqi civilians in Baghdad in 2007. The goal of the alleged bribery was to “silence (the) criticism” against the US security firm coming from Iraqi officials.
The shootings that forced the alleged bribery took place in Baghdad’s Nisoor Square. According to the report, Blackwater’s President at the time, Gary Jackson, approved of the payments. The money given to the Iraqi officials went through Jordan before getting to the company’s top manager in Baghdad. Executives made reference to in the Times’ report did not know if the payments were actually delivered.
One Blackwater employee pleaded guilty in United States court to a manslaughter charge over the 2007 attack. Five other company guards pleaded not guilty in January to charges against them. Blackwater has denied any wrongdoing for the shootings.
Cofer Black, a former Blackwater official and veteran of the CIA, issued a statement saying that he was “unaware of any plot or guidance for Blackwater to bribe Iraqi officials.” Additionally, Blackwater’s company spokesman, Stacy DeLuke, dismissed the allegations of bribery as “baseless” and said that the company refused to comment on their former employees. Despite this, Iraqi officials plan on determining the validity of the claims made against the US security firm.
Iraq’s Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani, in an interview with CNN, said that he had ordered the investigation into whether the top officials at Blackwater had approved the bribes alleged in the New York Times report. Bolani said that he is still in the process of gathering information regarding the allegations and explained that he hopes that individuals with information will come forward and help with the investigation.
Blackwater has been a topic of much controversy in Iraq even before the 2007 shootings. This comes from the company’s size and aggressive nature in the country. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki called the 2007 incident a massacre and was unhappy that their contract was renewed. The US Government has asked Blackwater to provide security services to US diplomats in Iraq until the newly hired firm is ready to take over.
For more information, please see:
BBC – Iraq Probes ‘Blackwater Bribes’ – 12 November 2009
AFP – U.S. Firm Blackwater in Iraq Bribery Scandal: Report – 11 November 2009
New York Times – Charges Prompt Iraqis to Look Into Blackwater – 11 November 2009
Reuters – Blackwater Approved Payments in Iraqi Shooting – NYT – 10 November 2009
