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thepeel
Joined: 08 Aug 2004
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 Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 4:55 am Post subject: U.S. Prosecutors Subpoena Blackwater Employees |
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WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 � Federal prosecutors have issued grand jury subpoenas to some of the Blackwater employees present at a Sept. 16 shooting in Baghdad in which the company�s security personnel killed 17 Iraqi civilians, lawyers in the case and government officials briefed on the matter said Monday.
The opening of the grand jury inquiry is a significant step in the case because it indicates that prosecutors believe that there is enough evidence of wrongdoing to warrant a formal criminal investigation.
Officials cautioned that the decision to begin a grand jury inquiry did not mean that prosecutors had decided to charge anyone with a crime in what they said was a legally complex case. Some government lawyers have expressed misgivings about whether a federal law exists that would apply to the actions Blackwater employees are accused of committing.
The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were discussing grand jury matters, would not say exactly how many subpoenas had been issued, but they said the subpoenas were mainly to Blackwater employees who were at the scene of the shooting but did not fire their weapons. The prosecutors are also seeking company records compiled at the time of the shooting as well as employee work histories and military service files.
The grand jury inquiry in Washington was first reported Monday by ABC News on the network�s Web site. |
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/20/washington/20blackwater.html?ref=us
I'm sure this will get real far. |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 11:32 am Post subject: |
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I thought Blackwater was immune to prosecution. I thought that immunity extended as far as the American government.
But, that might be interesting, because the court could declare such immunity unconstitutional. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Thu Nov 22, 2007 2:27 pm Post subject: |
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| This could be a very interesting case, given the immunity angle. Soldiers are not immune to prosecution but it was granted to civilian employees. As several people mentioned in another thread, is it even legal to have a private army? |
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igotthisguitar
Joined: 08 Apr 2003
Location: South Korea (Permanent Vacation)
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| Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 6:31 pm Post subject: |
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State Inspector General Stepping Down
By ANNE GEARAN, AP Diplomatic Writer
Fri Dec 7, 6:13 PM ET
WASHINGTON - The State Department's embattled inspector general, accused of impeding a Justice Department investigation of Blackwater Worldwide, announced his resignation Friday, saying a poisonous political atmosphere in Washington deters people from careers in public service. 
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071207/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/inspector_general_quits
;_ylt=Ao7bypNXLut_zW7MQwxwrbQDW7oF |
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