Doubts over British firm's Iraq deal

[CShine]

A British firm that won a $US293 million ($A425 million) Iraqi security contract is run by a retired British commando with a reputation for illicit arms deals in Africa. Security analysts say he is also known for having commanded a murderous military unit in Northern Ireland.

The contract - the largest single piece of the private-security pie in Iraq so far handed out by the Pentagon - was awarded to the London-based Aegis Defence Services. The company's CEO, Tim Spicer, a former lieutenant-colonel and a commando turned warrior-for-hire, has been linked to an arms sale to Sierra Leone that violated a 1998 United Nations embargo. Mr Spicer also served as commanding officer over two British soldiers convicted of murdering an unarmed Catholic teenager in North Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1992.

The contract, which was awarded last month but made public only last week, comes amid debate in Washington over the role of private security companies and their involvement in recent scandals over abuse of detainees and financial corruption in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr Spicer is known for his role in the 1998 Sandline Affair in which a company he founded violated a UN-imposed arms embargo by shipping 27 tonnes of arms to Sierra Leone.

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/22/1087844937502.html?oneclick=true

[struggle4progress]

1. Another proud awardee in Boosh's Billions for Thugs Giveaway!