Fake Bomb Detectors.

[Dubious Dick]

Well B, if only you read my blog you would have seen the Business Week piece already! :at (For avoidance of doubt, only kidding of course!)

Now for some excellent news from Mexico:

http://ade651gt200scamfraud.blogspot.co ... auder.html

[Dubious Dick]

After my last post here with some good news from Mexico, I am sorry to have to report some bad news sent by Luis Mochan, a Professor of Physics at UNAM, who has long been bravely campaigning against the fake detectors.

here is the text of his latest mail:

A lawyer and human rights activist, Jesús Robles Maloof published
today an article where, among other things, he describes how the GT200
was presented as evidence to arrest and imprison a blogger, acussed
of selling drugs, as recently as August the 8th! This happened in the
state of Chiapas, in the south of Mexico, whose attorney general
claimed a couple of days after Bolton's sentence that in CHiapas, the
detectors do work. I had challenged him publicly some weeks ago to
test them, but he hasn't taken the challenge, in contrast to the
governor of the state of Colima, who did accept the challenge and
later announced that his detectors indeed didn't work. Jesús Robles
Maloof got his article translated into English and posted it at his
blog

http://roblesmaloof.wordpress.com/2013/ ... in-mexico/

In other news, the annual report of the army was published in
Septermber 1. Sadly, it does mention the GT200 as if it were in use,
at least in 14 mobile checkpoints, without mentioning that it is
worthless. I posted a copy in my blog (in Spanish). It seems that the
corresonding report from the Navy refrained from mentioning the
GT200.

I have written as follows to William Hague, and would urge you all to do the same:

URGENT

F.T.A.O.: William Hague, Foreign Secretary

Dear Mr Hague,

I regret to have to pass on news (see below) concerning ongoing use of the GT200 fake detector in Mexico.

This despite the convictions for fraud of James McCormick, and Gary Bolton.

I urge you to bring further urgent pressure to bear on the Mexican Government to end the use of these useless devices. Not least on the grounds that The UK Government was foolish enough to support Bolton in the promotion of these devices e.g. via UKTI DSO, REEST and the British Embassy in Mexico. Given that history I believe it is the least you can do to make strenuous efforts in this matter.

Yours sincerely,
Peter Robinson

You can use the following email:

fcocorrespondence@fco.gov.uk

Thanks and regards,
DD

[bindeweede]

New piece from The Independent.

Bogus bomb detectors are still being used in Iraq five months after a British businessman who supplied the devices was found guilty of fraud. More than 4,500 people are estimated to have been killed in Iraq – 979 of them in September alone – since James McCormick, a former policeman, was convicted at the Old Bailey in April.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 54567.html

[Dubious Dick]

New piece from The Independent.

Bogus bomb detectors are still being used in Iraq five months after a British businessman who supplied the devices was found guilty of fraud. More than 4,500 people are estimated to have been killed in Iraq – 979 of them in September alone – since James McCormick, a former policeman, was convicted at the Old Bailey in April.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 54567.html

B on the ball as always. Just came here to link to the Indy article to find you had beaten me to it.

Seems the corrupt bastards who bought the junk just cannot let go.

The argument that they act as a deterrent might have worked for about ten seconds years ago, but by now is a joke of the peculiar as opposed to ha ha variety.

Hope some of you at least will send the FCO your thoughts on these matters as per my previous post.

All best, DD

[Zep]

Meanwhile, all the nasty bomb-smuggling people in that area (Al Qaeda, I'm pointing at you!) will know full well by now that they can get huge quantities of any explosives past these (so-called) control points with total impunity. Makes their job so much easier.

[polomint38]

[Croydon13013]

"Jim McCormick, who sold fake bomb detectors to Iraq, loses appeal."

http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/Jim- ... story.html

[Dubious Dick]

The result was a major relief. Praise where due, and the Appeal Court apparently gave this McCormick case very short shrift indeed.

Now we await the case under the Proceeds of Crime legislation. Am hoping that they simply bill him for the full invoiced figure of $75 Million (Approx £50 Million). He has already admitted that he didn't get all of that as some was paid in commissions (read bribes). But, so what. He invoiced that amount. make the case simple and tell him that unless he comes up with it, he gets another ten years.

Here's hoping as there is a chance that he gets out after 5 years on licence otherwise.

Same for Bolton (GT200) of course.

[panama]

McCormick is the subject of a feature on BBC's Crimewatch tonight.

[Dubious Dick]

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 (and elsewhere of course). 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 venture to suggest.

[chaggle]

Well deserved indeed. :yr

[Zep]

I suggest his gaol workplace experience should be doing IED bomb-detection, on loan to the Afghan Army in some war-torn part of that country...using his own products only.

[bindeweede]

New developments regarding Kent businessman Gary Bolton, who was sentenced to seven years for fraud.

The government accepted thousands of pounds from a fraudster to assist a global trade in fake bomb detectors despite a Whitehall-wide warning that such devices were "no better than guessing" and could be deadly.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... -detectors

[Dubious Dick]

New developments regarding Kent businessman Gary Bolton, who was sentenced to seven years for fraud.

The government accepted thousands of pounds from a fraudster to assist a global trade in fake bomb detectors despite a Whitehall-wide warning that such devices were "no better than guessing" and could be deadly.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... -detectors

Another good spot by B. Thanks for letting me know it was there!

That Peter Robinson quoted in the article is in no way related to any person living or dead, or associated with this forum in any meaningful sense.

Lets' hope the ongoing coverage of the scandal hits home where it should and where it hurts.

Typical Government style response that UKTI could not have known there were problems with the Mole and Gt200, despite the widely circulated Home Office report in 2001! Bleedin' eejits!

[Dubious Dick]

P.S. Don't miss the second article

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014 ... b-detector