| Tuesday, April 04, 2006 |
| Sleaze without boarders: Abramoff to save Sudan’s reputation? |
This post was supposed to be about the news that the Sudan government has prevented Jan Egeland, the UN’s top humanitarian guy, so that he wouldn’t witness the conditions of some 200,000 refugees from Darfur in neighboring Chad. While googling to see if there were more coverage of this news by others, I stumbled across this rather disturbing news on Los Angeles Times online.
Abramoff, a sleazy lobbyist who is accused of fraud, tax evasion and conspiracy to bribe public officials, is said to have offered his services to help the Sudanese government improve its tarnished reputation in the US. His former associate and the Sudan’s ambassador to the USA, Khidir Haroun Ahmed, and Abrafoff’s spokesperson, Andrew Blum all admit that the conversations definitely taken place.
Khidir Haroun Ahmed, Sudan's ambassador to the United States, said in an interview that Abramoff proposed a multimillion-dollar lobbying contract in late 2001 but that the proposal was "never seriously considered" by the Sudanese. He declined to elaborate.
Abramoff is notoriously known to lobby on behalf of anybody who would pay him. He is also well connected. The Sudan connection would have indirectly implicate Ralph Reed, the ex-boss of Christian Coalition who’s currently running for lieutenant governor of Georgia.
Perhaps the American tourist that mesquel square said were trying to paint a rosy picture of current situations in Ethiopia are Abramoff missionaries. You can’t trust anybody these days.
Abramoff is sentenced for five years and ten months in a federal prison for other charges.
Sudan: Country profile
Information on Darfur |
posted by Fikirte @ 8:41 PM
 
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