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November 19, 2009

Report: Blackwater Could Avoid Criminal Charges with Fines
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The private military firm Blackwater is reportedly in talks to pay
millions of dollars in fines for unlawful arms shipments to Iraq. The
New York Times reports the State Department has concluded Blackwater
committed “broad violations” of export laws. The settlement could help
Blackwater avoid criminal charges. The news comes as the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee has requested a probe into recent allegations
Blackwater authorized around $1 million to bribe Iraqi officials
following the September 2007 killings of seventeen Iraqi civilians in
Baghdad. Former company executives have claimed the payments were
approved after the Iraqi government called for Blackwater’s expulsion
from Iraq, threatening the company’s lucrative annual contract.



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