Just heard on BBC news now that BAE systems is to be dragged to court over bribery and corruption in Africa (not first the first time). These british and Americans do these things regularly but no one ever labels them as American or British corruption or even british scam.

Why is this so?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8284073.stm

BAE Systems, the UK's biggest manufacturer, is facing bribery charges and a possible confiscation of between £500m and £1bn, the BBC understands.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is expected to announce later that it wishes to prosecute defence giant BAE Systems for alleged bribery.

The case refers to allegations the UK firm paid out millions of pounds to win contracts from a number of countries.

BAE admitted last year that it had not always met the top ethical standards.

A separate investigation into BAE by the SFO was dropped in 2007 after it was decided that national security was at risk.

In that case, the SFO ended its investigation into a giant 1980s arms deal BAE secured from Saudi Arabia.

The latest SFO investigations are into contracts BAE won from countries including Tanzania, the Czech Republic, Romania and South Africa.

The BBC's Andy Hosken said any deal would involve BAE pleading guilty to charges of corruption and agreeing to pay a substantial sum in compensation - between £500m and £1bn.

Criminal charges would be brought under the 2001 Prevention of Corruption Act, but conviction would be decided by a judge without needing a crown court trial in front of a jury, he added.

A final decision on whether to proceed with criminal proceedings will have to be made by the Attorney General Baroness Scotland.

A BAE spokesman said the firm was working with regulators to help bring the investigation to an end, "providing access to people, information and premises whenever requested".

The firm is the UK's largest manufacturer - making everything from British Army kit to warships and planes. It has about 105,000 employees worldwide with customers in more than 100 countries.

BBC business editor Robert Peston said the continuing SFO probe into BAE was "the most explosive investigation into a British company that I have ever encountered".

He said the SFO was continuing to put pressure on BAE to admit limited responsibility and pay a fine, and that he still thought "there is a probability that the two sides will reach agreement".

wierd

@kosovo

The reason is simple. Outsiders, due to the behavior and utter irresponsibilities of our leaders, see such practices as ACCEPTED NORMS among us. Just imagine that the TOP law enforcement officer of Nigeria is not ashamed to be remotely linked to people who everyone can see are corrupt, but even goes out of his way to hide behind the one finger of national pride to defend them. Can you imagine he would climb on a plane to attend to Ibori's travails in the U.K.? That mere act, regardless of what he says there, is itself an indictment of our entire system of doing things. Where are the AGFs pronouncements on the injustice Nigerians suffer each day?

This my friend is the reason. Peoples of other nations are no less greedy than Nigerians, the difference is recognizing that this is a problem that must continually be combated, and it starts with standards of law and responsible governments. Turn off the traffic lights or remove the effective system of penalizing traffic light violators for one day in any developed country, and you will see the meaning of traffic chaos on their streets.

Just ask yourself what our government has done about those involved with Halliburton and other revelations of corruption in recent times. In our society these are the same untouchables in the corridors of power. Ah!

naijamini

[/quote]

typical:

Just heard on BBC news now that BAE systems is to be dragged to court over bribery and corruption in Africa (not first the first time). These british and Americans do these things regularly but no one ever labels them as American or British corruption or even british scam.

Why is this so?

[quote author=typical link=topic=331187.msg4645077#msg4645077 date=1254381808]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8284073.stm

BAE Systems, the UK's biggest manufacturer, is facing bribery charges and a possible confiscation of between £500m and £1bn, the BBC understands.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is expected to announce later that it wishes to prosecute defence giant BAE Systems for alleged bribery.

The case refers to allegations the UK firm paid out millions of pounds to win contracts from a number of countries.

BAE admitted last year that it had not always met the top ethical standards.

A separate investigation into BAE by the SFO was dropped in 2007 after it was decided that national security was at risk.

In that case, the SFO ended its investigation into a giant 1980s arms deal BAE secured from Saudi Arabia.

The latest SFO investigations are into contracts BAE won from countries including Tanzania, the Czech Republic, Romania and South Africa.

The BBC's Andy Hosken said any deal would involve BAE pleading guilty to charges of corruption and agreeing to pay a substantial sum in compensation - between £500m and £1bn.

Criminal charges would be brought under the 2001 Prevention of Corruption Act, but conviction would be decided by a judge without needing a crown court trial in front of a jury, he added.

A final decision on whether to proceed with criminal proceedings will have to be made by the Attorney General Baroness Scotland.

A BAE spokesman said the firm was working with regulators to help bring the investigation to an end, "providing access to people, information and premises whenever requested".

The firm is the UK's largest manufacturer - making everything from British Army kit to warships and planes. It has about 105,000 employees worldwide with customers in more than 100 countries.

BBC business editor Robert Peston said the continuing SFO probe into BAE was "the most explosive investigation into a British company that I have ever encountered".

He said the SFO was continuing to put pressure on BAE to admit limited responsibility and pay a fine, and that he still thought "there is a probability that the two sides will reach agreement".

It therefore means that we are all culpable

@Poster, because when Nigerian society freely celebrates Fraud and Corruption, the WEST, out of HATE of our free crime life-style, like to blame us for crimes we commit.

@ Naijamine. God bless you

idk about you idiot nigerians but i've labeled them corrupt for a long time not.
white ppl are thieves, you're only saying 'nobody labels them' cause they don't label themselves that way cause they're not bizarre and dumb like nigerians who wont shut up about how corrupt nigerians are when they're not any more corrupt then anyone else in their situation (they're just more obvious and dumb about it), and since white ppl haven't said white ppl are corrupt you wont say it either.

also international companies know nigeria is nigeria so when in nigeria do as the nigerians, you can't blame them 100%

[b]Nigerians aren’t the first people to be labelled nor are we going to be the last. The only outstanding feature I see is that we’re the first group of labelled people who appear to welcome being stereotyped. Scary to state the next thing but I fear our stereotyping could get to be as bad as that suffered by the Jews. I do not mean it will end in mass killings of Nigerians (there will be a bit of that) but essentiality to an equal level, long-term publicity, such as historical to the Jews. Such a type, that sinks into humanities psyche, as they suffered. This is because the stereotyping of Nigerians serves many powerful agendas.  It severs the agenda of the politically marginalised in Nigeria, and that of peoples’ of Africa jealous of Nigerians (see Ghana), the racist agenda against black people that is always present in the outside world, economic competition and that of black Diasporans with coonish tendencies (see Oprah). 


I would elaborate further on all of these but I have a huge research and writing assignment commitment. However, the authentic Nigerians on the board probably already know what I mean.


P.S

Corruption in the West is so monumental it is lost in the fabric of the society. Actually the more you look at it- if you do so dispassionately - the more it looks as if corruption is necessary in order for democracy and capitalism to function.

I wonder how many people for instance recognise that industries often first sell you a lie before they sell you goods. Isnt that corruption?

Contemporary notion of development is based on a huge White lie. The origin of international trade is based on a huge White lie.  The political manoeuvrings in the UN and the WHO is corrupt. Those stupid Lists Nigerians are so fund of, serve political and industrial interests, they are not benign and for this reason, alone, they are corrupt.  The food in your super markets are labelled misleadingly, this is corrupt practice. The way oil companies, all run by Whites, exploit the so-called third world is corrupt. International trade is corrupt. As I am writing, a man on the radio who once worked for royal mail says that he and the other workers used to claim more hours on their timesheet than they actually worked. In other words, they all exploited the Royal Mail for more money than they actually deserved. This is corruption. The local council is corrupt, the Car dealer and most Car dealers make a profit through telling you lies about the actual worth of the car they sell.  This is corrupt. Many of the people on this board who claim to be Nigerians are not in fact Nigerians, they are not only cowards but by this deception prove themselves corrupt. CIA, MOSSAD and all such organisations, with the full complicity of their respective Government, run covert and illegal operations; therefore, they and their government are essentially corrupt. Nothing run by man is totally above board even when half of the people are exceptionally honest. The truth is that all things are relative including corruption this is why stereotyping which seeks to make no exception is wrong. You and me and all Nigerians, in the memory of our ancestors and for the next generation sake, most start fighting against these ridiculous notions. In addition, do not listen to those who tell you we most do this by cleaning up our own house. Such tactics never work they only reinforce that which you are fighting to resolve.   
I don’t mean we shouldn’t fight corruption, we obviously most, especially as the worst excess of it in Nigeria is informed by underdevelopment. I only mean that the fight against this stereotyping most be done on its own terms we most make no excuse for it. [/b]

A country where "yahoozee","maga don pay" and "i go chop your dollar" where chat toppers

Because we always celebrate thieves and criminals, like Bode George.

We give criminals chieftaincy titles and vote them into public offices.