British Opposition Leader To Boycott Saudi King's Visit Due To Arms Deal Kickbacks Claims. How About Najib Then?

The acting leader of a British opposition party yesterday said he will boycott a state visit by Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz to protest the handling of a British investigation into claims that members of the Saudi royal family received kickbacks as part of a massive arms deal.

Vince Cable of the Liberal Democrats, Britain's second largest opposition party, said he also wants to protest Saudi Arabia's human rights record by turning down invitations to all the ceremonial events during the king's visit. It begins today and is to include a banquet held by Queen Elizabeth II in his honour at Buckingham Palace.

Britain's Serious Fraud Office had been investigating allegations that members of the Saudi royal family received kickbacks as part of the £43-billion (Dh324 billion) Al Yamamah arms deal negotiated in the 1980s with the UK-based company BAE Systems PLC. (Gulf News)

***** Interestingly our DPM goes in and out of London the way he does from Pekan to Putrajaya. If "receiving kickbacks as part of a massive arms deal" is a criterion which is uniformly and strictly applied by the British opposition then in future the likes of Najib should see his itinerary in the UK being drastically curtailed. Perhaps the hon. Dr Vincent Cable hasn't heard of Najib Tun Razak. But then again Najib isn't exactly in the same league as the Saudi King is he?
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