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Which U.S. Contractor Broke Crooked Iraqi Out of Prison?
It's a prime example of the lawlessness in Iraq. The details are sketchy and disputed, but here they are: An Iraqi corruption judge, continually thwarted in his pursuit of justice, finally helps convict a high-ranking official. But then the official breaks out of jail. Or, rather, the official is helped out of jail by guards working for one defense contractor, but is then returned -- only to leave jail with the help of another. Allegedly.
Testimony today from Iraqi corruption judge Radhi Hamza al-Radhi touched on the conviction of
Ayham al-Samarrai, the former Iraqi electricity minister. al-Radhi helped put al-Samarrai away for what the judge called "wasting" public funds. al-Samarrai is the highest-ranking official to be convicted of corruption in Iraq.
His name may be familiar to Blackwater watchers. Last month, an Iraqi defense official told McClatchy's Leila Fadel that Blackwater helped break al-Samarrai out of prison in the Green Zone last December. Today, however, al-Radhi suggested that the defense official was wrong. A rival private-security company, DynCorp, assisted al-Samarrai's prison break, al-Radhi said.
But DynCorp says it's a huge misunderstanding. "It's absolutely untrue," says spokesman Gregory Lagana. "We are absolutely 100 percent convinced it wasn't us." However, Lagana says, he knows why al-Radhi thinks DynCorp was behind it. Two DynCorp employees, one named George Dillman and another whom Lagana didn't recall, were stationed in Iraq to assist in training Iraqi policemen. Among the police stations the two were detailed to was the Green Zone station where al-Samarrai was detained. In October, al-Samarrai, who holds dual U.S.-Iraqi citizenship, told the DynCorp employees that he would be murdered if he was convicted.
When Samarrai was convicted, the DynCorp employees tried to help al-Samarrai, to whom they had become sympathetic. They improperly transported him to the U.S. embassy to seek protection for him. But the embassy told them that their intended transfer was improper, and took al-Samarrai back to the Iraqi police. "That was our last contact with him, and the two guys were fired," Lagana said. "They had no business doing what they did." The story was first reported in The Chicago Tribune last December.
However, al-Samarrai's story doesn't end there. According to Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) -- and confirmed by Stuart Bowen, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction -- al-Samarrai is currently living in Chicago. It's still not certain which contractor sprung al-Samarrai from jail. But beyond that: who helped al-Samarrai get back into the U.S.?
Comments (20)
Anonymous wrote on October 4, 2007 2:46 PM:In October, al-Samarrai, who holds dual U.S.-Iraqi citizenship, told the DynCorp employees that he would be murdered if he was convicted.
Should be:
deRougemont wrote on October 4, 2007 3:21 PM:told the DynCorp employees that he would talk to reporters if he was convicted.
I tried to do some follow-up on this but got very little. Maybe someone can provide information as to 1. How much money al-Samarria 'wasted'? 2. what is he doing in Chicago? I mean how is he providing for himself? and 3. what is the financial situation of the contractors who helped al-Samarria?
tiowally wrote on October 4, 2007 3:36 PM:deRoughmont asked:
#1. $2.5 Billion.
Carolyn wrote on October 4, 2007 5:00 PM:#2. See #1
#3. Happily looting along, I suspect.
tiowally: Is your #1 true or are you being facetious? If true, can you source it for us? thanks
gchaucer2 wrote on October 4, 2007 5:07 PM:I listened to the hearing and my first reaction was that the only way al-Sammarai could get into this country is with the help of both the State Department and Homeland Security -- even with the dual citizenship.
tiowally wrote on October 4, 2007 5:17 PM:To answer Carolyn's question:
I wish I were being facetious. Here's the original report (McClatchy):
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/19838.html
Carolyn wrote on October 4, 2007 5:19 PM:I feel so uninformed, gchaucer, but what hearing? I agree he had to have been helped by someone at the top. Follow the money, as always. Too bad we can't see how he transferred $$$$$$$$$$, then freeze them.
Carolyn wrote on October 4, 2007 5:33 PM:Thanks tiowally. Xlint article in many ways.
Carolyn wrote on October 4, 2007 5:34 PM:Thanks tiowally. Xlint article in many ways.
watercarrier4diogenes wrote on October 4, 2007 6:27 PM:Fadel should be a frequent guest on Keith Obermann's show, splitscreened with him from Baghdad. Go to McClatchyDC.com and click on her blog link on the right, called 'Baghdad Observer'. Some of her posts there are guaranteed to bring you to tears.
Long Tooth wrote on October 4, 2007 11:56 PM:Remember the days when 60 Minutes would have broadcast this story 3 weeks ago?
chisholm wrote on October 4, 2007 11:57 PM:"A prime example of the lawlessness in IRAQ?"
The sob was brought to CHICAGO!
Sweet and sour Jesus we are coming apart at the seams.
Bert wrote on October 5, 2007 1:51 AM:Bring em ALL home, troops, mercenaries,
thomas williams wrote on October 5, 2007 7:13 AM:everybody, let those people have their
country back, start the investigations,
hold the trials...then it's budget cut
time...
Investigate? any investigation carried out while Cheney is co-president will yeild the same result as the investigation into how TAYLOR (Charles) got out of a federal prison and then out of the country and was suddenly endowed with wealth enough to fund his take over of Liberia.
Add to that the wealth involved and the cooperation of federal officials who aided a convicted felon in his travel (no pass port, no identity papers, no visa) and entry into the United States leaves the rule of law out in the cold and it is dying of malnourishment and exposure.
And do you hear a demand by any repugathugs to return this fugitive to Iraq? Investigate the circumstances surrounding his... magical abilities to cross our borders?
How about Tancredo, he should be screaming a rabid RED tirade over this and what do we hear? listen carefully....
no thats your computer humming.... wait for it,cause its just gotta be there... as usual nothing can be heard, so you have to wonder where this guy is keeping his insurance policy, and how damaging it would be if he was to tell what he knows, must have members of the "red menace" party truely frightened of what he could do if he were to talk.
They will of course find what ever he is holding on to for his protection and he will then have the honor of being treated to a deluxe all expenses paid vacation to the Rest Forever Retirement Community of course the salad bar tends to grow through the ribs rather than sticking to them.
Might be time to order the protection of a material witness to ensure he is available to congressional investigators and could be he just might want that, "Aye" wonder if some committee chairman might be remembering that such an action is clearly within his or her authority in regards to the constitutional oversite and investigative responsibilities and powers they can exercise? Plus once he is in FBI custody the Director (lets call him BOB) of the FBI, has shall we say a markedly non-neo un-republican standard of right and wrong, and in something like this I like BOB and BOB is an alright guy and BOB is a rule of law kinda BOB and BOB dont lie for no body, DO YOU BOB?
Lets all try to get PATRICK & HENRY to ask BOB if BOB's ready to do his job so they can do theirs, and lets see if DICK tries to use his delegated executive authoritys on BOB cause DICKS perjury parrot DAVID dont scare BOB do he BOB? and BOB knows a thing or two about how to deal with convicts like DICK, and DAVID can go right into the cage with DICK cause no one wants DICK to be without his pet.
Dennis wrote on October 5, 2007 10:21 AM:As was asked, "Who helped al-Samarrai get back into the U.S.?
A little sense will tell you that it wasn't done without someone high in the administration of our government being a participant.
And now that this guy is exposed, what next? Does/will the U.S. house a convicted criminal? Are will our government take the position that al-Samarrai was not convicted in this country, that no Iraqi warrant has been issued for him, therefore, because he hold duel citizenship, he's free to roam the country or go wherever he pleases?
Too, who in our "high places" of government or "private interprise" was in on the corruption that al-Samarrai was convicted of?
Watch this guy be hidden somewhere.
You don't have to be a blind conservative not to see it, just an ignorant one to deny it.
kafba63 wrote on October 5, 2007 10:56 AM:Found this page by accident - don't know anything about the story and frankly don't care since I have an actual life outside my basement - but I couldn't resist pointing out that a US citizen does not need a passport to re-enter the country. People legally walk and drive into our country everyday. At the time this occurred he would not have even needed a passport to fly into the US from Canada, Mexico or a number of other places.
Stop looking for black helicoptors and shadowy agents behind every story. The guy is a US citizen - he gets to come home if he wants to. If another country wants to petition to extradite they can but the US routinely refuses to extradite people to nations with questionable justice systems all the time. (Much the same way other countries refuse to extradite to the US if the person faces a death sentence.)
If you were about to be killed - you'd try to get out too so just stop already.
Anyway, have fun picking my reply apart - I'll be busy making love to my wife!
Janus Daniels wrote on October 5, 2007 12:41 PM:Dennis, before commenting on his post, you should have waited till after kafba63 posted.
thomas williams wrote on October 5, 2007 12:57 PM:kafba63 I wont pick it apart I just want to know if the Iraq system of justice is a questionable system as you imply, I for one think it is and not because of the IRAQ people in it I doubt it only because that LINDSEY guy has bragged about how he helped set it up, yep he is a senator, and he is a better RED than American repugathug, so maybe your right and the criminals would be able to kill the guy.
And no one leaves IRAQ for the US without being screened even our soldiers get screened thanks to the looting of....thats right FAUX news people (were the only people to be found involved in looting and theft of IRAQs treasures.)
I say that the law requires we send him back to IRAQ and thats because we always extridite when the law involved is the same or similer to US law and HE is a convicted felon but you are right in one thing about this: there is always a reason not to do it.
Like CHALLABEE(sp)being wanted by -as I remember- 9 of our allies 7 of whom have extradition treaties with the US, seems to me that the more corrupt and criminal they are the more beloved and favored by the REPUGATHUGS who shall we say are more than a little lite in the rule of law department.
$2,500,000,000 stolen by this man, makes KENNY BOY look like a purse snatcher in comparison, and unlike ENRON he stole that money from YOU & I and thats a fact jack.
So how do you want it? the rule of law or the lawlessness of the repugathugs cause thats what were talkin about, and if it was really fear of imminent death from the IRAQ system WHY HAS'NT THE GUVMINT OF GEEDUDYABEE TRUMPETED THEIR HUMANITARIAN RESCUE OF THIS SAINT FROM THE OVAL OFFICE?
Gotcha by the short ones on that point don't I?!! Cause he stole our money and WE are shielding him and ya just gots ta wonder about that there little fact, at least I wonder about it and I am sure its occurred to others to wonder to.
Oh and 'bout dim der Black helicopters? they are real: ITS how BLACKWATER DOES IT, no markings and all BLACK.
avoids those pesky problems like someone knowing who just shot the place up.
Blackwater here blackwater there blackwater is all over this and other less than savory issues.
joy Thompson wrote on October 7, 2007 3:12 AM:WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO JUSTICE?
WHY DO WE HAVE DUAL-CITIZENSHIP?? YOUR EITHER AN AMERICAN OR NOT.
WHAT IS MOST HORRIFIC==CLINTON SOCIALISM OR FREEDOM? UNDER GOD?
WHO LET THE CROOK OUT?
joy Thompson wrote on October 7, 2007 3:13 AM:WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO JUSTICE?
WHY DO WE HAVE DUAL-CITIZENSHIP?? YOUR EITHER AN AMERICAN OR NOT.
WHAT IS MOST HORRIFIC==CLINTON SOCIALISM OR FREEDOM? UNDER GOD?
WHO LET THE CROOK OUT?