布萊爾的戰爭去保住油錢秘密：前首相交易被揭露 自2007年以來他的收入達到 二千萬英鎊
Blair's fight to keep his oil cash secret: Former PM's deals are revealed as his earnings since 2007 reach £20million
By Jason Groves
Last updated at 11:45 AM on 19th March 2010
Tony Blair waged an extraordinary two-year battle to keep secret a lucrative deal with a multinational oil giant which has extensive interests in Iraq.
貝利雅發動一場不平凡的兩年戰役，以為一利潤豐厚的跨國石油巨人交易保持秘密，它在伊拉克有廣泛的利益。
The former Prime Minister tried to keep the public in the dark over his dealings with South Korean oil firm UI Energy Corporation.
前首相試圖讓市民蒙在昏暗中，對他與韓國石油公司界面能源公司的交易。
Mr Blair - who has made at least £20million since leaving Downing Street in June 2007 - also went to great efforts to keep hidden a £1million deal advising the ruling royal family in Iraq's neighbour Kuwait.
貝利雅 - 他自2007年6月離開唐寧街後至少賺了二千萬英鎊 - 亦盡很大的努力去隱瞞一百萬英鎊的交易，提供伊拉克鄰國科威特的統治王室諮詢服務。
In an unprecedented move, he persuaded the committee which vets the jobs of former ministers to keep details of both deals from the public for 20 months, claiming it was commercially sensitive. The deals emerged yesterday when the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments finally lost patience with Mr Blair and decided to ignore his objections and publish the details.
在一項前所未有的行動，他說服審核前部長工作的委員會，讓這兩筆交易的詳情不為市民所知 20個月，聲稱它是商業敏感。交易在昨天浮現，當商業聘任諮詢委員會終於對貝利雅失去耐性，和決定忽視他的反對並公佈細節。
News of the secret deals fuelled fresh accusations that Mr Blair is 'cashing in on his contacts' from the controversial Iraq war in what one MP called 'revolving door politics at its worst'.
秘密交易的新聞加燃料在新鮮指控，貝利雅是在他的關係上''撈一票"，從有爭議性的伊拉克戰爭，這一位國會議員稱為'旋轉門政治最糟糕的時刻'。
They will increase concerns that Mr Blair is using his role as the West's Middle East envoy for personal gain.
它們將增加担心，貝利雅利用他作為西方的中東問題特使角色，是賺取個人利益。
The revelations also shed fresh light on his astonishing earnings, which include lucrative after-dinner speaking, consultancies with banks and foreign governments, a generous advance for his forthcoming memoirs, as well as the pension and other perks he enjoys as a former Prime Minister.
The full extent of his income is cloaked in secrecy because he has constructed a complex web of shadowy companies and partnerships which let him avoid publishing full accounts detailing all the money from his commercial ventures.
Critics also point out that a large proportion of his earnings comes from patrons in America and the Middle East - a clear benefit from forging a close alliance with George Bush during his invasion of Iraq.
Last night Tory MP Douglas Carswell said of Mr Blair's links to UI Energy Corporation: 'This doesn't just look bad, it stinks.
'It seems that the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has been in the pay of a very big foreign oil corporation and we have been kept in the dark about it.
'Even now we do not know what he was paid or what the company got out of it. We need that information now.
'This is revolving door politics at its worst. It's not as if Mr Blair has even stepped back from politics, because he is still politically active in the Middle East.
'I'm afraid I have no confidence at all in the committee that vets these appointments. It's no good telling us these deals may be commercially sensitive - we are talking about the appointment of our former Prime Minister and the public interest, rather than any commercial interests, must come first.'
Liberal Democrat MP Norman Baker said: 'These revelations show that our former Prime Minister is for sale - he is driven by making as much money as possible.
'I think many people will find it deeply insensitive that he is apparently cashing in on his contacts from the Iraq war to make money for himself.'
The committee said yesterday that Mr Blair had taken a paid job advising a consortium of investors led by UI Energy in August 2008. The exact nature of the deal is unknown, but UI Energy is one of the biggest investors in Iraq's oil-rich Kurdistan region, which became semi-autonomous in the wake of the Iraq war.
Mr Blair's fee has not been disclosed but is likely to have run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The secrecy is particularly odd because UI Energy is fond of boasting of its foreign political advisers, who include the former Australian prime minister Bob Hawke and several prominent American politicians.
Mr Blair successfully persuaded the committee that the appointment was 'market sensitive' and could not be made public.
The committee agreed to suspend its normal practice and keep the deals secret for three months. Mr Blair then asked for a further extension.
When this ran out last year the committee repeatedly 'chased' Mr Blair about the issue without hearing anything. Eventually the committee's chairman, former Tory Cabinet minister Lord Lang, reviewed the papers and ordered the deal to be made public, along with a separate deal with Kuwait which had been kept secret at the request of the Kuwaiti government.
The decision to keep the deals secret will fuel concerns about the effectiveness of the committee, which has been repeatedly criticised for its failure to halt the revolving door between politics and industry.
The committee is supposed to ease public concerns about former public servants using their contacts for private gain.
Ministers have to have all jobs vetted within two years of leaving office. But the committee is packed with former politicians and Whitehall grandees and is thought never to have banned a former minister or senior civil servant from taking up a lucrative job in the private sector.
Earlier this month the Government quietly rejected calls for the committee to be beefed up with more figures from outside the world of politics.
Gordon Brown has so far refused to answer questions about whether Mr Blair's arrangements breach his responsibilities under the ministerial code.
A spokesman for Mr Blair said last night: 'Mr Blair gave a one-off piece of advice in respect of a project for UI Energy in August 2008.
'He sought, and received, approval from the Committee on Business Appointments before undertaking this project.
'It was UI Energy who requested of the committee that they delay public announcement, for reasons of market sensitivity.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1259030/Tony-Blairs-secret-dealings-South-Korean-oil-firm-UI-Energy-Corp.html
它浮現貝利雅獲得數以百萬計 從JP摩根、對沖基金和...石油公司
Tony Blair gets millions from JP Morgan, hedge funds and...oil companies, it emerges
Friday, 19 March 2010 11:32
http://www.theflucase.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3074%3Atony-blair-gets-millions-from-jp-morgan-hedge-funds-andoil-companies-it-emerges&catid=1%3Alatest-news&Itemid=64&lang=en
貝理雅勾結石油公司 發戰爭財
2010年03月22日
四名工黨議員以權謀私只屬冰山一角。堂堂前首相貝理雅（ Tony Blair）卸任後亦涉嫌以其中東和平特使身份「撈油水」，靠伊拉克戰爭發財。
任韓石油公司顧問
英國《每日郵報》披露，貝理雅卸任後，私人進賬至少 2,000萬英鎊（ 2.3億港元），當中包括在 2008年收取 100萬英鎊（ 1,165萬港元），為中東某皇室任顧問，又與南韓石油公司 UI能源公司簽約成為顧問，而該南韓石油公司是伊拉克石油最大投資公司。該公司的行政總裁崔奎善（譯音）早前因為賄賂貝理雅以獲取伊拉克油田開發合約而被判監兩年。
為了不讓謀取私利的事曝光，貝理雅曾以會引起商業敏感為由，游說負責審查的企業任命諮詢委員會將事件保密，但經過 20個月的隱瞞，委員會失去耐性，上周不理貝理雅反對，公開交易細節。秘密交易消息一出，輿論譴責貝理雅從伊拉克戰爭「撈一筆」，對他利用「中東問題特使」角色謀取私利感到憂慮。
英國《星期日郵報》
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/template/apple/art_main.php?iss_id=20100322&sec_id=15335&subsec_id=15339&art_id=13846565
前大臣涉貪 自稱「出租車」 日收 5萬
英工黨 4議員收錢改政策
2010年03月22日
英國政壇，繼去年爆出議員濫申津貼連家用洗衣機也要納稅人付錢後，卧底記者再揭發有工黨資深議員以權謀私。《星期日泰晤士報》和第四頻道電視台記者，假扮美國一間虛構的通訊公司高層，在本月初約見了 20名工黨和保守黨議員，問他們游說本領如何。結果，四名工黨資深議員，當中三人是前內閣大臣，聲稱在政府內有人脈，只要打一通電話已可改變政策；其中一人自稱是「出租車」（ cab for hire），每天收費 5,000英鎊（ 58,271港元）。英國 6月大選，工黨要好自為之了。
前貿易和運輸大臣 改政策助 Tesco
他身為議員恬不知恥，形容自己像「出租汽車」，有錢就行。他向卧底記者聲稱，上次連鎖雜貨店 Tesco就標籤政策接觸他，他只是撥了一通電話給現任商業大臣文德森（ Peter Mandelson），就改變了對 Tesco不利的政策。他又炫耀另一項游說成就──令鐵路公司 National Express放棄東海岸鐵路經營權時毋須罰款；承諾可安排前首相貝理雅跟顧客見面。
布偉思知道遭卧底記者刺探後，發聲明說只是「誇大」游說功夫，撤回在會面時的言論。
前衞生大臣 助任政府顧問
她聲稱曾幫助一個人在政府顧問團中，取得一個重要席位；說可提供影響立法結果的服務，「若有公司需要將某個特定的規例除掉」，她可以安排活動，如透過資助智囊、學術講座等，讓公司接觸到國務大臣；又自稱曾協助一間提供精神病治療的公司，爭取得在精神病囚犯治療私有化報告中作證的機會，有利該公司開拓業務。她得悉跌落傳媒圈套後，發聲明說她只是準備在離開下議院後，才提供游說服務。
國會議員 安排與政壇猛人合照
代表盧頓（ Luton）地區，她聲稱可為顧客聯絡政府中的「手袋黨」，包括前內政大臣施卓琪（ Jacqui Smith）、前社區大臣貝海珊（ Hazel Blears）、工黨副黨魁夏雅雯（ Harriet Harman）等，更說「不要小看一杯酒、一張合照的功效」，話中有話，暗示可安排跟政壇猛人乾杯、合照的機會。卧底記者邀請她擔任公司顧問團成員，她雖未完成議員任期，卻聲稱可立即上班。會晤後，另一卧底記者致電她的選區辦事處，要求約見討論區內房屋問題，秘書卻說：「她現時身體不適，不接受約見。」
前國防大臣 套取國防機密
早前發動聯署逼現任首相白高敦（ Gordon Brown）下台，最後逼宮失敗，表明不參加下屆大選，因此他向卧底記者表明，「由於兩個孩子還在讀大學，因此很需要一份工」，要將自己的知識和社交網絡，變成「可賺錢的東西」。身為前國防大臣，他更不避嫌表示，他可為顧客從公務員身上，套取國防政策的內幕消息，又可以介紹顧客給國務大臣等高官認識。為了證明影響力，他聲稱隨時可約見現任國防大臣。知道被卧底記者刺探後，他透過律師說他的言論被誤解，否認可提供秘密消息。
工黨：這情況永不能存在
英國將於一個半月後舉行大選，傳媒現在揭發工黨的前內閣成員和國會議員涉嫌以權謀私，無疑是對工黨投下一枚炸彈。
報道曝光後，工黨承諾加緊規管游說工作涉及的利益問題，杜絕任何人以權謀私。工黨發言人昨日強調，「商業機構只能花錢收買國會議員或其他人，才能與政府對話──這種情況永遠不能存在。」
自白高敦上台以來，工黨政府經歷了遺失國民電腦資料、議員濫申開支等醜聞，令民望處於低位。民調機構 ICM和 YouGov的最新民調分別顯示，工黨目前的支持率，仍然落後保守黨 6%至 7%。但保守黨也沒有把握取得控制國會的大多數議席。
法新社
http://hk.apple.nextmedia.com/template/apple/art_main.php?iss_id=20100322&sec_id=15335&subsec_id=15339&art_id=13846563
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