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February 23, 2012
Police raid Heckler & Koch in bribery probe
Published: 10 Nov 11 13:38 CET
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/national/20111110-38789.html
Police have raided the headquarters of German gun maker Heckler & Koch as part of an investigation into illegal gun sales to the Mexican government.
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Those bribes are said to have resulted in weapons contracts with authorities in Mexico.
The company, which produces many of the world’s most popular small arms for police and military use, has been dogged by investigations into its Mexican operations for years.
Last December police searched its headquarters after it was accused of bribery and selling arms to Mexican states where serious human rights abuses had taken place.
It later said it never sold weapons directly to Mexican states, but rather directly to Mexico’s federal government.
This summer it emerged that rebels in Libya were using Heckler & Koch weapons, although the company denied selling weapons to anyone in the country. German prosecutors have since launched an investigation.
Although it has not yet responded directly to Thursday’s raid, Heckler and Koch has previously insisted all of its operations in Mexico were legal.
In its last statement on the matter, dated March 10, it said the company “never paid a cent of bribe money to Mexican officials to support the sales of the products. The allegation of bribery has been launched by a group of persons including a former H&K employee who is now working for a competing company.”
Heckler & Koch has been selling weapons to the Mexican government for more than 20 years.
The Local/DPA/mdm
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Your comments about this article:
German Prisons are much much better than Mexican Prisons.
I just think back to that super gun being sold to Saddam Hussein. Crazy market sense, these gun dealers.
Only if you don't know about all the DDR built T-62 tanks, BMP Infantry carriers, and AK-47's that Germany sold to So Damn Insane when he needed to rebuild his army after the first Gulf War.
Why be hypocritical? Just sell weapons to who ever wants them. If you don't Ivan or the Chinese will. Better the money be in a German's hands than theirs I say.