The company formerly known as Blackwater, now called Xe, has been accused of planning to bribe Iraqi officials. The reported bribery plan took place after the shooting by Blackwater guards in Baghdad's Nisoor Square in September 2007 left 17 civilians dead.
At the time of the incident, Blackwater was under intense criticism and scrutiny over its actions in Iraq. The New York Times reported on Tuesday that four former Blackwater executives reported that then Blackwater president Gary Jackson authorized secret payments of about $1 million to Iraqi officials. They described the plan under the condition of anonymity, the newspaper added.
The payments were authorized in December 2007, and were sent to a top manager in Iraq. However, the anonymous informants did not know if in fact the money was ever delivered to Iraqi officials or the identities of the potential recipients.
Blackwater, now Xe, has since been booted out of Iraq, and the State Department is now using DynCorp and another private security firm, Triple Canopy, for the diplomatic protective services Xe formerly provided.
However, Xe continues to have a presence in Iraq. In September, the State Department announced it had extended a contract with a Xe subsidiary to provide air cover for U.S. diplomats in Iraq. At the same time, Xe continues to provide security for U.S. diplomats in other nations, for example, Afghanistan.
Jackson, who resigned as president of Blackwater early this year, was uncommunicative when contacted by the NYT, and said simply, "I don't care what you write." Meanwhile, Xe spokesman Mark Corallo said the company disputes "these baseless allegations" and had no comment on the former employees' accusations.
Written by Michael Santo
Exclusively for HULIQ.com
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