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Nigeria Charges Former US VP in Bribery Case

   VOA News 07 December 2010
   Former  Vice  President Dick Cheney has remained silent about his time
   as   chairman   and  chief  executive  of  Halliburton  Company  under
   investigation (file photo)

Photo: AP

   Former  Vice  President  Dick Cheney once served as chairman and chief
   executive of Halliburton Company (file photo)

   Nigeria's anti-corruption agency has filed charges against former U.S.
   Vice  President  Dick  Cheney  in  connection  with an alleged bribery
   scandal involving the energy firm Halliburton.
   Prosecutors  filed  a 16-count charge against Cheney and several other
   former  and  current  Halliburton executives Tuesday at a federal high
   court in Abuja.
   Officials  say the executives are charged with conspiracy, and, in the
   words of a court document, "giving gratification to public officials."
   The  charges  stem  from accusations that oil service firm Halliburton
   and its subsidiary, KBR, paid bribes of more than $180 million between
   1995  and  2005  to  win  contracts to build natural gas facilities in
   Nigeria.
   The French news agency reports that Halliburton has denied involvement
   in  the  case,  and  that  a Cheney spokesman says the accusations are
   baseless.
   Cheney was president of Halliburton from 1995 to 2000, before becoming
   vice president in the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush.
   Last  year,  KBR  paid  fines  of  $577  million  to  the U.S. Justice
   Department  and  U.S.  Security  and  Exchange  Commission on separate
   charges related to the scandal.

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