It would appear that the Iraqis (At long last) have woken up to the fact that they have been scammed by, McCormick of ATSC who make the scam device the ADE651, Looks like another country McCormick wont be visiting anytime soon, not of his own choice anyway!!! The story is re printed below:
Iraqi Interior Ministry returns $20m to 2010 budget over explosive detector controversy
"Wednesday, February 2nd 2011 7:49 PM
Baghdad, Feb. 2 (AKnews) - The Inspector General’s office at the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that it has returned 24bn Iraqi Dinars ($20m) to the state treasury after resolving mass corruption cases, including the issue of the ADE 651 explosive detectors.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry had previously announced earlier that a number of senior officers in the Interior Ministry were referred to the Iraqi justice on charges of buying the non-effective explosive detecting devices without revealing the identity of the officers involved.
The Inspector General at the ministry Aqil al- Turaihi told AKnews that his office had worked hard to return the funds lost through administrative and financial corruption.
"The staff of the Inspector General is working vigorously with all the illegal issues that lack integrity and non-observance of the controls that limit the spread of corruption," he said.
The Public Integrity committee revealed earlier that the Interior Minister in the previous government Jawad al-Bolani, prevented the Public Integrity committee in accordance with his powers to prosecute six senior officers from his ministry after being convicted of corruption for importing non-effecient explosives detectors.
The ADE 651 explosive detector was widely used by the Iraqi Police Service and the Iraqi Army. The Iraqi Interior Ministry bought 800 of the devices in 2008 for $32m and a further 700 in 2009 for $53m, in no-bid contracts with the UK-based manufacturer ATSC.
According to ATSC’s promotional material, the device is said to work on the principle of "electrostatic magnetic ion attraction". The ADE 651 consists of a swiveling antenna mounted via a hinge to a plastic handgrip. It requires no battery or other power source, its manufacturer stating that it is powered solely by the user's static electricity. To use the device, the operator must walk for a few moments to "charge" it before holding it at right angles to the body.
The Iraqi government paid up to $60,000 for the devices despite the purchase price being put at around $18,500. The Iraqi Army's Baghdad Operations Command announced in November 2009 that it had purchased another hundred of the devices.
Jim McCormick, Managing Director of ATSC has said that the devices were sold for $8,000 each, with the balance of the cost going on training and middlemen. According to CBS News at the time, the training included instructions to Iraqi users to "shuffle their feet to generate static electricity to make the things work."
According to an associate of ATSC, the devices were manufactured at a cost of $250 each by suppliers in Britain and Romania. The associate told The New York Times: "Everyone at ATSC knew there was nothing inside the ADE 651."
The use of the ADE 651 has prompted strong criticism and eventually led to a ban on the device's export from the UK to Iraq and Afghanistan and a criminal investigation of its manufacturer.
The Iraqi security forces' reliance on the device was highlighted by a New York Times investigation in November 2009, which reported that United States military and technical experts believed the device was useless.
The U.S. military revealed last year in a report that most of the explosives detectors imported by the Iraqi government were not valid for use and the contracts included financial corruption.
The Iraqi government subsequently formed an investigation committee to investigate the reality of what was published in the media, and the committee concluded that some of the equipment used for detecting explosives used at security checkpoints does not work and decided to return the ineffective devices immediately.
Reported by Saman Dazzayi"
Well I hope McCormick and the Romanian sidekick enjoyed reading that story.
Showing posts with label Iraq. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iraq. Show all posts
Friday, 4 February 2011
Wednesday, 9 December 2009
No surprises the ADE651 FAILS AGAIN, this time with the loss off 125 lives
When will the Iraqi people realise they have been scammed?
The Associated Press released the following story:
Iraqi PM asks for patience after Baghdad bombings
By CHELSEA J. CARTER (AP)
BAGHDAD — The prime minister appealed Wednesday to Iraqis to stand by their security forces, even as angry lawmakers demanded answers and called on top officials to resign following the third massive attack against government sites since summer.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his interior minister were expected to appear before a special parliamentary session Thursday to answer lawmakers' questions on how bombers once again found holes in security in heavily guarded central Baghdad, according to a spokesman for parliament's speaker.
On Wednesday, al-Maliki asked Iraqis for patience and warned against fomenting political divisions following Tuesday's string of suicide bombings that killed at least 127 people and wounded over 500 in the Iraqi capital.
"I call on the Iraqi people for more patience and steadfastness," he said in a televised address.
The deadly bombings raised tough questions for al-Maliki about the abilities of Iraq's security forces ahead of next year's withdrawal of U.S. combat troops. The U.S. military has warned of a possible rise in violence ahead of the March 7 parliamentary elections.
Ayad al-Samarie, the parliament speaker, called on the ministers of defense and interior as well as the commander of Baghdad military operations to appear before the special session, said Omar al-Mashhadani, the speaker's spokesman. Other security officials have also been asked to appear, he added.
Top security officials have been called twice before — and failed to show up — to answer questions in parliament about security lapses, after suicide bombers in August and October killed hundreds in attacks on other government buildings.
This time, Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani agreed to attend the session under one condition — that it not be held behind closed doors, according to a statement released by his office. It was not known if other officials would attend.
Al-Maliki also was expected to attend the session, al-Mashhadani said.
The prime minister has so far not sacked any of this top security advisers, but there have been growing calls for resignations following the most recent attacks. Al-Maliki has been running for re-election on a platform of improved security, and any perceived security failures could cost him as well as his political party at the polls.
The U.S. military has said it will keep the bulk of its 120,000 troops in place in Iraq until after the election.
Abbas al-Bayati, the head of parliament's defense committee, said Iraq must have an emergency plan to deal with any violence ahead of the elections.
"The Iraqi people need convincing answers from the security commanders," al-Bayati told state run television. "If the security falls apart, then everything will collapse."
There have been no claims of responsibility for the latest attacks, though Iraq has claimed al-Qaida and loyalists of Saddam Hussein's Baath party were behind the August and October as well as the most recent bombings.
Al-Maliki appeared to demand that Syria must do more to stop senior Baath Party officials living on its territory from plotting attacks against Iraq. The prime minister has in the past accused Syria of harboring senior Baathists who masterminded attacks in Iraq. Syria denies the charges.
"I demand of the international community and all countries, including neighboring countries, who condemn the attacks to turn their words into actions and support the Iraqi people and the Iraqi government by confronting terrorism," al-Maliki said.
While violence has dramatically declined in Iraq, insurgents have continued with some regularity to launch attacks against security forces and civilians.
On Wednesday, there were scattered reports of violence across the capital.
A bomb attached to a minibus exploded in northern Baghdad, killing two and injuring 11, an Iraqi army official said.
A bomb hidden in a garbage heap killed two street sweepers and injured three passers-by in northern Baghdad, while an hour later in the same neighborhood a gunman killed a police officer at a checkpoint, police said.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
Meanwhile, rescue operations were halted Wednesday around the labor and finance ministries as well as the court complex after crews completed their search through debris, said police Col. Safaa Saadi Jawad, the deputy head of the Interior Ministry's rescue operations.
"If we receive reports from families of missing people, we will look some more," he said.
Funerals were under way for bombing victims. Some families carried black flag-draped coffins through the streets, while others waited at the morgue to claim bodies authorities were still working to identify.
Associated Press Writer Sinan Salaheddin contributed to this report.
So there you have it Mr McCormick yet again your stick on a swivel fails and costs the lives of over 125 Iraqi People. I would mind not betting that the Ministers that refused to attend the high level meeting were ones involved in the corrupt purchase of the scam known as the ADE651.
The Associated Press released the following story:
Iraqi PM asks for patience after Baghdad bombings
By CHELSEA J. CARTER (AP)
BAGHDAD — The prime minister appealed Wednesday to Iraqis to stand by their security forces, even as angry lawmakers demanded answers and called on top officials to resign following the third massive attack against government sites since summer.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his interior minister were expected to appear before a special parliamentary session Thursday to answer lawmakers' questions on how bombers once again found holes in security in heavily guarded central Baghdad, according to a spokesman for parliament's speaker.
On Wednesday, al-Maliki asked Iraqis for patience and warned against fomenting political divisions following Tuesday's string of suicide bombings that killed at least 127 people and wounded over 500 in the Iraqi capital.
"I call on the Iraqi people for more patience and steadfastness," he said in a televised address.
The deadly bombings raised tough questions for al-Maliki about the abilities of Iraq's security forces ahead of next year's withdrawal of U.S. combat troops. The U.S. military has warned of a possible rise in violence ahead of the March 7 parliamentary elections.
Ayad al-Samarie, the parliament speaker, called on the ministers of defense and interior as well as the commander of Baghdad military operations to appear before the special session, said Omar al-Mashhadani, the speaker's spokesman. Other security officials have also been asked to appear, he added.
Top security officials have been called twice before — and failed to show up — to answer questions in parliament about security lapses, after suicide bombers in August and October killed hundreds in attacks on other government buildings.
This time, Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani agreed to attend the session under one condition — that it not be held behind closed doors, according to a statement released by his office. It was not known if other officials would attend.
Al-Maliki also was expected to attend the session, al-Mashhadani said.
The prime minister has so far not sacked any of this top security advisers, but there have been growing calls for resignations following the most recent attacks. Al-Maliki has been running for re-election on a platform of improved security, and any perceived security failures could cost him as well as his political party at the polls.
The U.S. military has said it will keep the bulk of its 120,000 troops in place in Iraq until after the election.
Abbas al-Bayati, the head of parliament's defense committee, said Iraq must have an emergency plan to deal with any violence ahead of the elections.
"The Iraqi people need convincing answers from the security commanders," al-Bayati told state run television. "If the security falls apart, then everything will collapse."
There have been no claims of responsibility for the latest attacks, though Iraq has claimed al-Qaida and loyalists of Saddam Hussein's Baath party were behind the August and October as well as the most recent bombings.
Al-Maliki appeared to demand that Syria must do more to stop senior Baath Party officials living on its territory from plotting attacks against Iraq. The prime minister has in the past accused Syria of harboring senior Baathists who masterminded attacks in Iraq. Syria denies the charges.
"I demand of the international community and all countries, including neighboring countries, who condemn the attacks to turn their words into actions and support the Iraqi people and the Iraqi government by confronting terrorism," al-Maliki said.
While violence has dramatically declined in Iraq, insurgents have continued with some regularity to launch attacks against security forces and civilians.
On Wednesday, there were scattered reports of violence across the capital.
A bomb attached to a minibus exploded in northern Baghdad, killing two and injuring 11, an Iraqi army official said.
A bomb hidden in a garbage heap killed two street sweepers and injured three passers-by in northern Baghdad, while an hour later in the same neighborhood a gunman killed a police officer at a checkpoint, police said.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
Meanwhile, rescue operations were halted Wednesday around the labor and finance ministries as well as the court complex after crews completed their search through debris, said police Col. Safaa Saadi Jawad, the deputy head of the Interior Ministry's rescue operations.
"If we receive reports from families of missing people, we will look some more," he said.
Funerals were under way for bombing victims. Some families carried black flag-draped coffins through the streets, while others waited at the morgue to claim bodies authorities were still working to identify.
Associated Press Writer Sinan Salaheddin contributed to this report.
So there you have it Mr McCormick yet again your stick on a swivel fails and costs the lives of over 125 Iraqi People. I would mind not betting that the Ministers that refused to attend the high level meeting were ones involved in the corrupt purchase of the scam known as the ADE651.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)