JABIRI - THE WORLD'S GREATEST EXPERT ON BOMB DETECTION

Those of you that have followed the sagas of the fake explosives detectors will recall our old friend, Major General Jabiri. The pivotal figure in the Iraqi purchases of that renowned explosives detector, the ADE651. 

Well, some time back he was convicted on charges of corruption, and it seems it has taken until now for his conviction to be confirmed. Of course we still wonder what has happened to all those others who shared in the kickbacks that Jim McCormick paid out. What about the Interior Minister at the time who would undoubtedly have been looked after? What about al Malaki, the Prime Minister at the time? Does anyone seriously think that the Interior Minister didn't have to pay upwards?

Ah well. Thanks to Joel Wing at Musings on Iraq blog we have some details on the news on Jabiri. You can find his blog here:

http://musingsoniraq.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/iraq-general-gets-4-yrs-in-prison-for.html?m=1

I hope he will be o.k. with me reproducing his post here. If not let me know and I'll just leave the link.

Thursday, January 21, 2016

Iraq General Gets 4 Yrs In Prison For Buying Fake Bomb Detectors

Iraq’s purchase of several thousand fake bomb detectors has been an infamous case of
corruption within the country. The ADE 651 devices were used despite objections from 
the United States and British, and when they were proven to not work, and the manufacturer 
was imprisoned for selling the bogus detectors the Iraqi government still refused to admit 
that it was wrong. The Interior Ministry general who bought the ADEs and got a hefty sum 
in kickbacks in the process was finally convicted and his sentence recently approved.

On January 19, 2016 Iraq’s main anti-corruption agency the Integrity Commission ratified
the imprisonment of the general responsible for purchasing the ADE 651s. In June 2012, 
General Jihad al-Jabiri the former head of the Interior Ministry’s Anti-Explosives Department 
was sentenced on misdemeanor corruption charges. In January the Integrity Commission 
okayed his four years imprisonment. The Ministry’s inspector general discovered that up to 
75% of the money spent on purchasing the detectors actually went to kickbacks to 15 Iraqi officials. 
That was supported in the trial of the devices’ manufacturer Jim McCormick in England in 2013 
where he revealed that he paid  millions in bribes to Iraqis to finish the deal. Jabiri was arrested 
in February 2011 for buying the ADEs. That was after years of the Interior Ministry denying any 
wrong doing and protecting the general from investigations.

The ADEs were controversial from the day Iraq bought them. McCormick sold 7,000 of them
to the Interior Ministry in 2007 for $2,500-30,000 each even though they only took $50 to build. 
The devices had no working parts in them and no power source. Users were told to walk in circles 
to generate static electricity that would power them. In November 2008 a British official warned 
that the devices did not work. In 2009 the British and American forces in Iraq investigated the 651s 
and both reported that they did not operate. The next year England banned the exportation of the 
detectors. Despite all this the Iraqi government said there was no wrongdoing in their purchase and 
insisted that they were good for anti-bomb duties. That happened even after Jabiri was arrested and 
McCormick was convicted. Former Minister Nouri al-Maliki for example, said that most of the 651s 
were effective right after McCormick was found guilty. The next Premier Haidar Abadi then ordered
all of the devices removed from service, but some were still seen being used in the streets of Baghdad.

The approval of General Jabiri’s sentence might be the last note heard from Iraq on the ADE 651s.
Despite taking millions in bribes not to mention costing the lives of hundreds of people who were
killed by bombs not discovered by the detectors he only got a misdemeanor charge. This was yet 
another example of how the Iraqi government is not serious about fighting corruption. High officials 
are routinely let go for stealing and graft. Those that are found guilty are usually out of the country or
given slaps on the wrists like Jabiri. Corruption is too important to the ruling parties who use it to
maintain power via their patronage networks. That’s the reason why it continues to fester within the
country.

SOURCES

Sotaliraq, “Integrity Commission approves the imprisonment of the anti-explosives director for four
years,” 1/19/16

WELL DESERVED AWARD!!!!

Pleased to report that The Gnome Business Awards for 2013 (Private Eye Number 1357 10 - 23 Jan 2014) Crook Of The Year is James McCormick.

To quote Private Eye, "The most odious in the award's history...who made £50m selling fake bomb detectors to the gullible and corrupt of Iraq ([i]and elsewhere of course[/i]). McCormick, jailed for 10 years, edged out former partner Gary Bolton, who used the same con in less dangerous countries and was jailed for seven years."

Well deserved I would suggest!

BBC CRIMEWATCH

Last night the BBC Crimewatch programme carried a report on the investigation into James McCormick and his fraudulent ADE651 detector.

While the report was far from perfect e.g. failing to credit the BBC Newsnight team (Meirion Jones and Caroline Hawley), or Clinton Rogers of BBC Somerset, who ran reports on the sacm back in 2009, 2010 and 2011, it does add to awareness of this terrible fraud which can only be a good thing.

I am sorry that readers outside the UK will be unable to access the link at BBC iplayer. I will try to see if the report can be uploaded to youtube, and get back with a link if possible.

One of the good aspects of the piece is that it highlights the fact that because the ADE651 was useless, many people, particularly in Iraq, died or were horribly injured where it was widely used.

Of course, McCormick is now serving a jail sentence, and we hope he is reflecting on what misery he caused by his fraud.

The report mentions that, in addition to a case still to be brought against McCormick for recovery of the proceeds of crime, some overseas Governments may be taking civil action against him as well. We await details, but will let you know if we hear more on this. Our fondest hope is that McCormick will be unable to repay his full proceeds of crime, and has his sentence extended. If this does not happen he may be out in five years, and in a position to get his hands on some of his blood money probably stashed with his old friend General Pierre hadji Georgiou of Prosec in Lebanon.

Anyway, here is the report which starts at 45:56

CRIMEWATCH McCORMICK

P.S. Thank you to Anonymous who tipped us of in advance about the Crimewatch coverage!

WHAT'S GOING ON?

The photo above was taken just last week at an Iraqi checkpoint. It shows the ADE651 is still in use.

Those of you who have read my recent posts will know that, sadly, the fight goes on to put an end to the use of the useless detectors. You will be aware of reports that this idiocy continues in both Iraq and Mexico.

There can be no excuse, and the authorities in those countries continue to be negligent in not deploying proper security measures to protect their civilians and security forces.

Of course, this is not to excuse the Government here in the U.K. from their responsibility for having been complicit in supporting sales efforts for these devices. They have yet to take responsibility for this, or strong enough action to make up for the past mistakes. We have tried to get the Foreign Office to put further pressure on the Governments of Mexico and Iraq to put a stop to the use of the ADE651 and GT200, but have seen no evidence that anything substantive has been done. This despite the convictions for fraud of McCormick and Bolton. It is almost as if they want to forget.

Well, every death, every lost limb, and every false arrest that results from the use of these devices is a reminder of the complacency, stupidity and corruption that are the ever present features of this saga. Those responsible will go down in history as the fools and corrupt bastards that they are. Sadly, that can be no consolation for those who suffer in the present as a result.

If any of those responsible for this are reading, SHAME ON YOU! You are worthless turds! If you do not know what a turd is then let me make it clear.....................................

I DON'T BELIEVE IT

Well, actually I do, because very little surprises me these days. After reports that the GT200 is still in use in Mexico, now we travel back to Iraq.

See below for a report in The Independent highlighting the fact that the ADE651 is still in use there.

Of course, the continued use of fake detectors results in the loss of more lives and the suffering of others who are torn to bits by the bombs. Oh how the terrorists must be laughing at how easy it all is. 

The report includes the suggestion from some Iraqi security force personnel the fake detectors might act as a deterrent. This was always a super stupid idea. It may have held true for about ten seconds, a few years back, but now? Even it were true it would be no excuse for wasting money on junk.

The report also suggests that the ongoing use of the ADE651 in Iraq is due to vested interests. A point we have been making for some time i.e. the corrupt and/or stupid officials responsible for buying into the fraud simply cannot be seen to agree that they are useless because that would be an admission of guilt. The fact that even the Prime Minister, al Maliki, was quoted earlier this year defending the ADE651 would suggest that his pal the Interior Minister at the time of the purchases bunged him some of the proceeds of the kickbacks.

Anyway, here is the piece from The Independent:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/exclusive-iraq-still-using-bogus-bomb-detectors--and-thousands-pay-the-price-8854567.html

Business Week

Courtesy of a good spot by our old friend Lumpy Low, thought you might like to see an excellent report from Business Week:

http://sniffexquestions.blogspot.co.uk/2013/07/how-was-james-mccormick-convicted-of.html

FOR THE ATTENTION OF THE FOOLS:

Nuri Kamil Mohammed Hasan al-Maliki - Prime Minister of Iraq

and

Benson Githinji - Chief of Police, Nairobi, Kenya

It is with great regret that despite the conviction of James McCormick on charges of fraud for selling the useless ADE651, and his sentencing to 10 years in prison, the completely useless ADE651 is still in use in some parts of the World.

The case against McCormick included testimony from a number of expert witnesses which proved, beyond any doubt that the ADE651 is capable of detecting nothing (other than as we said before, gullible, stupid and corrupt buyers and users).

Below you will find links to news reports where both al-Maliki and Githinji continue to defend the ADE651.

Why would they say this? Well, that is for you to decide. However, I will offer some possible reasons. First, they are corrupt bastards who took money as part of the deals? Or second, they are totally stupid and irresponsible? Third, both?

I have a question for these 'gentlemen'. If they are so confident that the ADE651 works, are they prepared to put their own lives at risk with the exclusive use of it for their own security? It seems not because in the case of al-Maliki, he hedges his bets by suggesting that it only works 20 - 50% of the time. NO! It works no better than chance Mr al-Maliki!

If any of my good readers know either of these two fools, please feel free to pass on the following message to them:

Dear Mr al-Maliki and Mr Githinji,

The ADE651 does not and cannot work. Every time it is used it puts lives at risk. Are you prepared to have that blood on your hands? WAKE UP! End the use of the ADE651 immediately, and start using methods that do work.

Do you really think that any of the terrorists do not know the ADE651 is useless?

While you continue to defend the use of the ADE651 you just look like bigger idiots every day that goes by.

No wonder your countries are in such a mess, with fools like you in charge.

Yours sincerely,
The Fake Explosives Detectors Campaign

 http://www.worldtribune.com/2013/05/22/iraqs-al-maliki-continues-to-insist-bogus-device-detects-ieds/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-22306632

QUESTIONABLE MIRA TELECOM?????????

While we wait, and hope, to see if the trial of James McCormick will finally conclude this week, we are also waiting for more information on the case of Elodia Ghinescu in Romania. You may remember reading two of my recent posts on this case, where the ADE651 was used (and of course failed) to try to locate her body.

In the press coverage from Romania, the case has raised important questions as to who there was responsible for purchases of the ADE651. At least three Romanian Government Ministries are implicated, and there are calls for an urgent investigation.

As part of that investigation we think the Romanian authorities should have some interesting questions for Stelian Ilie at Mira Telecom.

After we conducted a campaign by email to inform business partners of Mira Telecom about their involvement with McCormick and the ADE651, Stelian Ilie wrote an open letter claiming that Mira Telecom had terminated their relationship with McCormick in March 2010. This was most interesting because up to the point when he released that letter, he had been vigorously defending that relationship and the ADE651, both directly and indirectly (including various Romanians, who we believe were employees of Mira, adopting pseudonyms, and posting comments supportive of the ADE651 on Youtube and elsewhere).

Now, bringing all this into context of the trial of McCormick, and the Elodia Ghinescu case, two big questions for Mira Telecom:

1. If Mira Telecom terminated their relationship with McCormick in 2010, how and why did they provide a witness for the defence at the trial of McCormick?

This witness (who appeared via video link from Romania) claimed that the ADE651 worked well, but had to be warned by the Judge for being coached by someone off camera as to what to say.

2. If Mira Telecom terminated their relationship with McCormick in 2010, why was the ADE651 still being used as late as 2012 in the search for the body of Elodia Ghinescu?

You can see a copy of the letter that Stelian Ilie of Mira published in February 2011, where he claimed that Mira stopped working with McCormick in 2010, at the blog of Techowiz
HERE . (We know that part of the reason why Stelian Ilie wrote this letter was that at least one company in the U.K. stopped dealing with Mira Telecom as a result of our email campaign. Please note his threat of legal action against us for 'calumny', which strangely never materialised! Well Stelian, here is some more calumny for you!)


During the trial of McCormick, invoices were produced that showed that Mira Telecom were one of at least four different companies that were invoiced for ADE651 units which were subsequently shipped to Iraq. It has long been questioned why McCormick did not sell direct to the Iraqis, and whether there were any irregularities in those deals i.e. were Iraqi officials bribed to buy the ADE651? We understand there are ongoing investigations into those purchases in Iraq, and have previously reported that we have heard Major General al Jabiri (who signed off on the largest orders) is serving a prison sentence for irregularities in the purchase procedures).

We believe that at least some of the money McComick made from sales of the ADE651 to Iraq may still be in Romania. As we have previously reported, records in Romania show that at one time McCormick bought shares in Mira Telecom, and was a Director of one of the Mira companies.

We hope to bring you much more interesting news on investigations in Romania. Meanwhile, we would like to say "HELL - O to Stelian."

P.S. At the trial of McCormick it emerged that the Romanian authorities used the ADE651 in advance of a visit to Romania by President Bush. Perhaps they didn't like him very much.

LATEST ON McCORMICK - ADE651

We are waiting for more details, but it appears McCormick was released on bail on Friday 13th July. He had been remanded in custody on 11 July when charged at City of London Magistrates Court.

We understand McCormick made a rather staged attempt to support his original bail application by holding up proceedings while he left the Court to take medicine.

We understand he made a special application for bail to a Judge in Chambers, and that this was granted. We guessed this might happen after Gary Bolton, Simon Sherrard, Sam Tree, Joan Tree and Anthony Williamson were granted bail on 12/7 when they were charged over other variants of the fraud (see previous posts).

It is a shame that McCormick is in a position to hire an expensive lawyer, and to get out of jail before his trial. Still, life now will be a lot less comfortable, and we assume stringent bail conditions have been imposed on a man who almost certainly salted money away from the ADE651 sales in various places around the World (again, see previous posts).

ADE651 STILL IN USE IN IRAQ! WTF!

A friend of the Fake Explosives Detectors Campaign recently returned from a business trip to Iraq.

He reports the following:
1. The ADE651 fraudulent killer so called explosives detector is still extensively used around Baghdad. This is despite all the publicity that the thing simply cannot and does not work, and the thousands of lives that have been lost, or ruined due to inevitable failures of the ADE651.
2. It appears that most Iraqis are fully aware that the ADE651 is a joke. One guard was observed holding his thumb on the aerial, which would of couse prevent it moving. Is this because he knew it is useless too, and maybe wanted to avoid dealing with all the inevitable false positives?
3. An ADE651 registered a false positive on our friend. Luckily he was with one of his local business partners at the time who has some influence, and after a brief chat and a waving of paperwork, they were on their way. The incident did make our friend quite nervous. What if he had been on his own at the time?
4. May we remind you that the head of the Iraqi bomb squad responsible for the corrupt purchasing of $85 Million U.S.D. of ADE651s was arrested early last year on charges relating to the purchases of the useless device. Sadly he was subsequently released under a dodgy law (136b), which has apperently since been repealed, but which allowed Ministers to unilaterally quash corruption charges. Presumably the Minister responsible let off Major General al Jabiri because he had shared in some of the corrupt money! May we also remind you that the Iraqi Interior Ministry was ordered to pay back $20 Million U.S.D. to the Iraqi Treasury by way of a fine for the corrupt ADE651 purchases.

So, how come the ADE651 is still in use in Iraq to this day? It is over 3 years since Techowiz and I started to let everyone know that the ADE651, GT200 etc were completely useless. This has been conclusively proven. When will the Iraqis come to their senses and ditch the stupid useless swivelling aerials? How many more lives must be lost? How many more limbs detached? How many more families torn apart?

Un-f*****g believable!!!!!!!

Don't forget to see Clinton Rogers Reports below if you have not already done so!!

WHEN IS A CONTRACT NOT A CONTRACT?

Riddle me that my little chickadees!

Some of us have been having some interesting discussions recently regarding contracts and what they mean.

ROGUES GALLERY

WORRA LORRA WOGUES

For your delight I am publishing a picture from an article in a Romanian newspaper questioning the goings on between Big Jim McCormick and the fine folks at Miratel. Jim's the one with the big grin and the double chin, second from right. Nice looking man ain't he?

This article was published thanks to the efforts of Techowiz so respect for his ongoing sterling efforts to get Jim and his lowdowndirtyscum allies.

We have it on good authority that Jims relationships with his tame retired Lebanese General Pierre Hadji Georgiou (Right of picture) at Prosec, and with Stelian (Second left of picture) and the boys and girls at Mira Telecom are becoming a bit strained under the influence of our onslaught. Whoopee! We are pretty sure that the dodgy ex General was the conduit for the Iraqi deals, so he's got blood on his hands as well. Funny the lack of camraderie between military men!

We did of course email Stelian and his mates at Mira Telecom to warn them they had a slippery one on their hands with Jim, but they threatened to sue us (no sign of the paperwork yet boys!! HA HA) and claim they are a respectable company. Even more HA bloody HA!!

Still on the case Jim, Gary etc etc. Nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide. Your detectors can't find a damn thing, but we can damn well find you.

A CALL TO ARMS...

legs and other body parts.

Just thought Jim McCormick (ATSC ADE651), Gary Bolton (Global Technical GT200), David Vollmar (SNIFFEX HEDD1), Simon Sherrard (Alpha 6) and any others selling fake explosive detectors, might like to face up to the sight of someone caiught in an explosion. Lovely isn't it!

And you pieces of SH1T go round pretending that you can prevent these atrocities.

Time to come clean boys and girls, or top yourselves for your disgusting cynical behaviour.

You might think things have gone a bit quiet, but don't worry boys. There's plenty more to come!