London, UK, June 7, 2007 – Despite revelations that Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan was secretly paid kickbacks of £1 billion by the current and previous UK governments, Tony Blair again defended his decision to drop the corruption probe into UK-Saudi arms deals saying it would have lead to "the complete wreckage of a vital relationship for our country, quite apart from the fact that we would have lost thousands and thousands of British jobs,''.
On the same issue, in December 2006, Lord Goldsmith, the Attorney General said that "the wider public interest…outweighed the need to maintain the rule of law". This further sheds light on how far the UK government will go to protect its immoral relationship with the dictators of the Muslim world.
Dr Imran Waheed, media representative of Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain, said, "The government claims to be fighting wars abroad in order to export the ‘rule of law' yet it undermines the rule of law in Britain in order to protect big business interests and the reputation of the Saudi dictators."
''Whilst many are accustomed to the corruption of the Muslim rulers, this episode exposes the fact that despite the rhetoric, Western governments continue to demonstrate their support for brutal dictators who oppress and torture, as well as cover their financial corruption provided they serve western corporate interests, justifying it all under the blanket label of 'national interests' and the ‘war on terror'."
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