Halliburton Co.’s recent decision to move its headquarter to Dubai from Texas has triggered a political firestorm as Senator Hillary Clinton and other top Democrats expressed outrage at the oil services giant. US Democrats now planning to seek a congressional review of the decision, saying it is motivated by greed. However, Dick Cheney, who earlier headed Halliburton prior to become US vice-president, said the move was to capitalize on the booming energy sector in the Gulf region.
According to the reports, Congressman Henry Waxman, who heads the chief investigative committee in the House of Representatives, is contemplating to hold a hearing on the Dubai issue. Reacting to the company’s decision, Senator Patrick Leahy, the top Democratic member on the Senate judiciary committee, has reportedly said, ‘this is an insult to the US soldiers and taxpayers who paid the tab for their no-bid contracts and endured their overcharges for all these years’.
Hillary Clinton, the New York senator and presidential candidate has criticizing the decision has said that they have a lot of evidence of misuse of government contracts and how they have cheated the American soldier and cheated the American taxpayer. The company is at present being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the US justice department over allegations of improper business affairs in Iraq, Kuwait and Nigeria and most serious allegation of improper billing for food and fuel services in the war-torn Iraq.
Moreover, the decision to shift headquarter is obviously the latest confirmation of U.S. oil industry that has been heating up Middle East operations in recent times. Schlumberger, Halliburton’s chief rival, opened a research center in the region in the past two years, while Shell has dramatically expanded operations. Dubai is increasingly becoming a growing hub for Western business and investments, sandwiched between Saudi Arabia and Oman and is surrounded by the world’s biggest proven oil reserves.
Comments
I do find it quite disturbing that a nation we wouldn’t trust guarding our ports (no matter how much Bush and Cheney pushed for it) is now going to be home to the HQ of a major defense contractor of ours IN IRAQ.
I think the major reason is they want the inside track to control the Iraqi oil......I just cannot see this being justifiable from a company standpoint for any reason other than that......I’d isn’t it? Cheney, reportedly one of the major backers and pushers of war in Iraq, ran Halliburton until he became VP, we started war in Iraq and now Halliburton is moving its HQ to the ME for ’oil exploration’.
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Politics can get pretty ugly and downright dirty, especially in the state of Illinois. Wrong deeds will definitely catch up to you sooner or later. President-elect Barack Obama arrested Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, along with his chief of staff John Harris, in Chicago Tuesday morning on charges that included conspiring to commit wire fraud and soliciting bribes in exchange for the state’s Senate seat, vacated. This is the second time an Illinois governor has been arrested on federal charges. George Ryan, Illinois’ 39th governor, was also charged for wielding his authority to help himself and his friends. According to the Illinois state law, it is the responsibility of the governor to fill the senate seat and much like Ryan; Governor Blagojevich saw an opportunity to use his power to leverage amenities for himself. According to the news, Blagojevich, 52, was hoping to get a substantially higher salary, a position on the board for his wife, a cabinet post and more in exchange for his choice of a senate replacement. Looks like the governor got a little bit too greedy. The FBI has filed a 76-page indictment against both Blagojevich and Harris. The affidavit reports that the federal authorities caught Blagojevich conspiring to sell or trade the vacant Senate seat on court-ordered wiretaps last month. The people of Illinois will have to wait patiently for the conclusion of this story. Times are rough and it’s about to get rougher, especially for both Blagojevich and his cohort John Harris.
Click to read more on Blagojevich courtesy of Personal Money Store’s Payday Loan News.