Tuesday, June 19, 2007
"THE British arms firm BAE Systems secretly paid nearly £250,000 for a honeymoon for the daughter of Prince Bandar, the Saudi Arabian prince at the centre of bribery allegations. A senior BAE executive authorised the payments, allowing Bandar’s daughter to enjoy a six-week honeymoon in luxury resorts in Singapore, Malaysia, Bali, Australia and Hawaii. The couple stayed in five-star hotels costing up to £4,000 a night and had a private jet trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Peter Gardiner, managing director of the travel agency that organised the honeymoon, said: “BAE instructed me to give Bandar's daughter and her husband the honeymoon of a lifetime at BAE’s expense. Who says that big business doesn’t have a heart?”"