Dick Cheney's former company, Halliburton, is paying a bribe to clear Cheney of bribery charges. Huh?
Wait a second: Isn’t Halliburton in effect bribing Nigerian anti-corruption officials to drop bribery charges? The Nigerian government is essentially saying, “If you’re going to bribe anyone, you must bribe our government agency, not that other government agency.” If a bribe is called a fine, it’s no longer a bribe, apparently. See how language affects perception?
Reports are dribbling in that Nigeria may drop charges against former U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney and Halliburton over alleged bribery.
AFP and Reuters each reported that Nigerian anti-corruption officials met with representatives for Cheney and Halliburton in London. Reuters reported that the company offered to pay up to $250 million to clear the charges.
Femi Babafemi, a spokesman for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said to Reuters that the offer had to be cleared by the government and a decision would be made by the end of the week.
Read the rest at the Wall Street Journal.
