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Anti-corruption activist savages BBC on its 80th Birthday

R.A.McCartney | 02.03.2012 17:47 | Analysis | Anti-militarism | Other Press | World

The BBC is marking the 80th anniversary of its World Service, and has been gushing about its supposed virtues. It claims to be: ‘fearless and so impartial that it allows its critics to argue their case on its own programs’. Meanwhile it continues to white wash fraud and corruption on UK military equipment contracts.


I’m the only person who’s ever reported fraud on Ministry of Defence (MOD) Equipment contracts, then got another job in the arms industry and reported more fraud. My biggest frustration is that the mainstream media refuse to report the facts, and instead keep insisting that there isn’t any serious corruption in the UK. The BBC is among the worst offenders. There is undeniable evidence of widespread fraud on MOD Equipment contracts. I’ve also shown that, for a quarter of a century, corrupt civil servants and government ministers have repeatedly lied to protect companies accused of fraud. I have published a number of leaflets and internet articles on this subject, some of which I reference below. Despite the UK’s draconian defamation laws, I have never been sued.

On 28 February 2012 Chandrashekhar Krishnan (Chandu) from Transparency International was on PM, the flagship early evening news program of BBC radio 4. He claimed that there was no serious corruption in Britain. In fact, all the participants in the item, including the presenter, said the same thing. There was a complete lack of balance. The same lies are often broadcast on the World Service.

I know Chandu personally because I spent five years trying to get TI to do something about corruption on MOD Equipment contracts. At a meeting I had with the UK officials of Transparency International on 7th March 2008, I showed them the proof that Labour minister Lord Gilbert had lied in a written parliamentary answer. His answer said that the price agreed for the BATES contract was £197 million. When I held up a newspaper with giant front page headlines to prove that the price had been £100 million, Chandu laughed along with everyone else. Gilbert had blatantly lied to cover up massive criminal fraud. And yet Chandu accused me of trying to destroy TI. In fact I was simply highlighting the lies they were telling about corruption in the UK, and trying to get them to do their job. Subsequently he stopped me handing out leaflets to TI members to explain what was going on.

Over the last quarter of a century I’ve contacted the BBC hundreds of times. Mostly they refuse to broadcast the truth because they are afraid of being sued or of some other form of retribution from the powers that be. I can understand that, especially after Andrew Gilligan, Greg Dyke, and Gavin Davies were all forced to resign over Gilligan’s report on the “Dodgy Iraq Dossier”. However, there is absolutely no excuse for lying and saying that there’s no serious corruption in Britain because the UK media are “very good” at exposing it! I’ve asked the BBC for a chance to reply to the PM item on corruption, but they haven’t even bothered to reply.


“Dark Secrets of Transparency International” on the indymedia website at  http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/12/414494.html

“Anti-corruption chiefs 'protect UK arms fraud & corruption” on the indymedia website at http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/04/396660.html

“Transparency International lies protect UK arms corruption“ at  http://homepage.ntlworld.com/r.a.mccartney/ti/bannedbyti27march2008.doc

R.A.McCartney
- e-mail: yont@hushmail.com (temporary)

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