December 22, 2010 / by emptywheel

 

Cheney Freedom Discounts Bigger than Cheap Chinese Toy Discounts

In the race to see which would be discounted more quickly, Cheney’s freedom won out over cheap Chinese toys at Christmas season: the final price for Cheney’s freedom is $35 million.

Oilfield contractor Halliburton has agreed to pay Nigeria $35 million to settle bribery allegations that led to charges against former Vice President Dick Cheney and other executives, the company announced Tuesday.

But Halliburton also agreed to help Nigeria get the $130 million bribe sitting in a Swiss bank account.

Halliburton also agreed tp help Nigeria recover money from a Swiss bank account set up by a former agent for its Nigerian joint venture TSKJ, the company said. Nigerian officials said as much as $130 million had been stashed in Switzerland.

Which suggests that Mary’s take on this — that it was all about the $130 million in Switzerland — was spot on.

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Originally Posted @ https://www.emptywheel.net/2010/12/22/cheney-freedom-discounts-bigger-than-cheap-chinese-toy-discounts/