Erik Prince Follows Halliburton Beyond Reach of US Law
Remember how Halliburton decamped to the United Arab Emirates a number of years back? There was some discussion that might be because UAE won’t extradite people to the US.
The suggestion that he’s moving to a place where he can’t be extradited to the US is even more interesting in the case of Erik Prince.
Sources close to Blackwater and its secretive owner Erik Prince claim that the embattled head of the world’s most infamous mercenary firm is planning to move to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Middle Eastern nation, a major hub for the US war industry, has no extradition treaty with the United States. In April, five of Prince’s top deputies were hit with a 15-count indictment [1] by a federal Grand Jury on conspiracy, weapons and obstruction of justice charges. Among those indicted were Prince’s longtime number two man, former Blackwater president Gary Jackson, former vice presidents William Matthews and Ana Bundy, and Prince’s former legal counsel Andrew Howell.
The Blackwater/Erik Prince saga took yet another dramatic turn last week, when Prince abruptly announced [2] that he was putting his company up for sale.
While Prince has not personally been charged with any crimes, federal investigators and several Congressional committees clearly have his company and inner circle in their sights. The Nation learned of Prince’s alleged plans to move to the UAE from three separate sources. One Blackwater source told The Nation that Prince intends to sell his company quickly, saying the “sale is going to be a fast move within a couple of months.”
Sounds like a guy trying to leave town before the Sheriff comes for him, huh?
Either that, or Prince is doing so much business with other countries, he just wants to be closer to his client base.
Sounds kinda un-Christian.
How much you wanna bet that most of Prince’s money is in a UAE bank, beyond the reach of the U.S.? Maybe he just wants to be able to access his moolaa without Uncle Sam looking over his shoulder. Your theory sounds pretty good, however.
This is interesting from another angle, however: Isn’t Prince aligned with Israeli neo-cons?
Bob in AZ
Israelis and Muslims!!!
As an alternate headline: “Déjà vu all over again. Prince to undertake holy crusade.”
OT – Via Faux News:
The only intel memo that Faux News made public is here (3 page PDF).
I guess “Afghan War May Inspire Attacks On Americans” or “US Refusal of Justice to Arar and El-Masri May Inspire Attacks on Americans” or “NRA Incitements to Take Out Politicians May Inspire Attacks on Americans” etc. – while likely about as true, just aren’t as compelling.
Remember a few articles back where we were discussing how Obamarahma just won’t give up the power that Bush/Cheney arrogated to themselves, and I compared what was going on to the fascination of the Ring of power, and bemoaned that we have no ring bearer to take the thing and throw it into the fires of Mt. Doom? Well, MadDog, I am not alone.
Seems the US should have extradition treaties with every nation that its citizens are allowed to sell arms to prevent bad arms merchants from running away into another country’s arms when they do something wrong, a la John Mark Karr.
So… if Price Erki’s still in the US, and if a Grand Jury actually indicts, then he can be nabbed if he tries to leave the country, right?
Why should the border be a limiting factor? We’ve rendered people who’ve never been charged and who’ve killed fewer people, haven’t we?
/s
My inner teenager has questions. How totally awesome would it be to render Fucking Eric Prince, Christian Warrior Mercenary Job Placement Expert? Then forcing Sean Hannity and Glenda Beck to waterboard him, while Rush jerks off and Sarah flashes her new Wassilla Funbags until the three tard’s heads explode.
As I understand it, he’s an American but he’d be in a foreign country. Meaning we can sic a drone on him without further court action.
Boxturtle (Though I suspect his employees control more drones than government employees do)
Drone Wars?
With all that crappy Lucas-written dialogue?
To be fair – there’s another possibility for his move. He may have realized what a big business assassinations are in the UAE and maybe he’s thinking he can get a “Foreign Government” or two to outsource to him and leave those messy passport problems behind them.
Another Blackwater “grad” I’ve often wondered about is former spokeswoman Anne Tyrrell.
Ms. Tyrrell, daughter of American Spectator editor Emmett Tyrrell, was front and center for Blackwater’s glory days, commenting on this and that.
When Blackwater became Xe, she seemed to have departed and was working as Communications Director for Michigan Rep Thaddeus McCotter (a logical transition given the Prince/DeVos’ familiy stranglehold on Michigan).
Now she’s at Prism Public Affairs (DC). I bet Ms. Tyrrell has loads to say.
Anne Tyrell was dead nuts in the middle of the handling of the Nissour Square shooting aftermath that resulted in the DOJ eventually claiming it had been all mucked up so much they could not prosecute. Legally it was pegged on the Garrity letter admissions/witness statements the shooting party were asked/made/allowed to make; but it ran a lot deeper than just that.