Morning:
14°c
Iraq government officials have been accused of being involved in the abduction of five Britons in Baghdad to conceal the theft of billions of dollars in state funds.
A former senior Iraqi intelligence officer and government minister claims that the 2007 kidnapping of IT consultant Peter Moore and his body guards was assisted by the state as part of a cover-up. Of the four bodyguards, Jason Swindlehurst and Jason Creswell have been killed, and Alan McMenemy and Alec MacLachlan are believed "very likely" by the Foreign Office to have died.
Mr Moore, who is believed to be still alive, is understood to have been working on exposing massive corruption within the Iraqi government. His computer system that would have tracked billions of dollars of oil and foreign aid money through the finance ministry was about to go online at the time of the kidnapping.
"This operation was on a state level," said a source. Witnesses who saw the kidnapping have claimed they were warned against speaking out by Iraqi ministry of defence officials.
Reader views (5)
You will never stop corruption in Iraq or any third world countries.Now even we have it here in UK,especially among politicians. Is it contagious???
- Surj, london
Truth will out and the stink the truth is making as it leaks out here is sickening. Are we to learn eventually that everybody knew about this, including our own government?
- Jilly, London
As a matter of interest, what do they do with all the billions they rip off from us and their own people? Do they build palaces, own yachts, have glittering jewels? What on earth do they do with it all?
- Sue R, London
Iraqis are murdering thieves? Who would have thought that? The Middle East is run by dicatatorial kleptocracies, always has been always will be. They laugh at our concern for human rights, except when they see an opportunity to make money and bottom feeders like Reprieve use our money to sue us(the taxpayer) on behalf of them. I wonder if little boy Milliband will do anything to investigate what happened. I'm sure he'll ask some "harsh questions" and give them another opportunity for a laugh. Pity about the dead kidnap victims.
- Jon, london
State sponsored terrorism? Great, yet another Muslim country we will regret getting involved with.
- Frank, Home Counties, England.
