http://www.algore.org/blog/black_cell/bush_familys_war_profiteeringThe Bush Family's War Profiteering
24 February 2005
The extent of Iraq contracts going to corporations which involve members of President George W. Bush's family is widespread and extensive involving hundreds of millions of dollars. Often these firms receive contracts where the corporations have no expertise and certainly the Bush family members have no expertise or experience in these areas. It is a world not of know how but of know who, marinated in campaign contributions. . . .
Marvin Bush is co-founder and partner in Winston Partners, a private investment firm which is part of a larger firm called the Chatterjee Group. . . . According to the Sept 30, 2003, issue of Mother Jones, an $80 million Iraq contract was awarded to Nour, a company which began in 2003 with ties to Winston Partners. Nour is an “international investment and development company" with more than 100 employees based in Iraq, and claims expertise in telecommunications, agribusiness, internet development, recruitment, construction materials, oil and power services, pharmaceuticals and fashion apparel.”
In January, 2004, Nour was awarded a $327 million contract to equip the Iraqi armed forces and Civil Defense Corps. However, not long after it was awarded, Nour came under heavy scrutiny because of questions involving the company's president and Ahmed Chalabi, of the US appointed Iraqi Governing Council. Newsday reported, Chalabi received a $2 million “fee” for helping to arrange a $80 million contract, that was actually awarded to a firm called Erinys International “within days” of being granted the contract, Erinys became a joint venture operation with Nour.
In addition, after the $327 million contract was awarded it was revealed that Nour had no prior experience in providing military equipment. Nour’s response was it planned to subcontract its weapons procurement to the Polish firm, Ostrowski Arms – unfortunately, Ostrowski didn't even have a license to export weapons. After these concerns the Army decided to terminate the contract with Nour. This added to the delays in body armor and other equipment that have increased the risks for U.S. soldiers.
In May 2004, ANHAM, a joint venture with Nour, based in Vienna, Va., was the winner of a $259-million contract to equip the new Iraqi army and security forces with guns, trucks and other equipment.http://www.mw.ua/1000/1030/46881/Using the Google search engine, one may learn that ANHAM is an American-Arab joint venture based in the city of Vienna, Virginia, USA. It encompasses a number of smaller companies, such as: HAIFinance Corp. (USA), American International Services/Uni Trans (USA), Munir Sukhtian Group (Jordan) and ASTRA (Arab Supply and Trading Co., Saudi Arabia), the two former being members of an American consortium called Nour USA.
The consortium is known for having won, in March, the Pentagon tender for supplying military equipment and machinery to the new Iraqi armed forces, with a bid worth USD 327 million. However, the companies that failed to win the bid, including the Polish company Bumar, managed to get the tender results annulled.
At the re-tender announced on 29 March 2004, ANHAM (and Nour USA, which is behind it) offered the lowest price of USD 259.3 million and won again, beating General Dynamics, ITT, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and Bumar. The ANHAM Company will, reputedly, provide the Iraqis with АК-47 machine guns, pistols, ammunition, radio stations, helmets, gas masks, night vision devices, tents, field-kitchens, first-aid kits, off-highway and heavy-duty trucks and other special-purpose goods. . . .
Meanwhile, other bidders seem unhappy with the Pentagon’s choice. Numerous experts concur that ANHAM is a dark horse, evidently lacking experience in military supplies. Nevertheless, the losers are not in a hurry to demand that the tender results be deemed invalid, maybe because in economic terms, the ANHAM offer was indeed the most attractive of all. For instance, Bumar charged Americans USD 425 million for its equipment, which is USD 166 more than the successful bid.