A flurry of denials over Ugandan bribery cable
Last week, you’ll recall, WikiLeaks brought us the story of a meeting a year ago between Jerry Lanier, the U.S. ambassador to Uganda, and Tim O’Hanlon, an executive of Britain’s Tullow Oil, which was trying to buy a stake in a pair of big Ugandan oil fields at the time. Lanier’s cable paraphrases O’Hanlon as ...
Last week, you'll recall, WikiLeaks brought us the story of a meeting a year ago between Jerry Lanier, the U.S. ambassador to Uganda, and Tim O'Hanlon, an executive of Britain's Tullow Oil, which was trying to buy a stake in a pair of big Ugandan oil fields at the time. Lanier's cable paraphrases O'Hanlon as saying that two other companies had somehow swooped in and grabbed the deal out of Tullow's hands. The suggestion was that a Ugandan minister had been paid off.
Not so, say almost all of those mentioned in the Lanier cable. Last Friday, O'Hanlon wrote a letter to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, saying that Lanier got the story all wrong. He had heard the talk circulating of such backroom dealing, O'Hanlon wrote, but he never believed it. "I have no evidence implicating the honorable ministers in corruption and have no reason to believe that the rumors sweeping Kampala at the time were actually true," O'Hanlon wrote.
Last week, you’ll recall, WikiLeaks brought us the story of a meeting a year ago between Jerry Lanier, the U.S. ambassador to Uganda, and Tim O’Hanlon, an executive of Britain’s Tullow Oil, which was trying to buy a stake in a pair of big Ugandan oil fields at the time. Lanier’s cable paraphrases O’Hanlon as saying that two other companies had somehow swooped in and grabbed the deal out of Tullow’s hands. The suggestion was that a Ugandan minister had been paid off.
Not so, say almost all of those mentioned in the Lanier cable. Last Friday, O’Hanlon wrote a letter to Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, saying that Lanier got the story all wrong. He had heard the talk circulating of such backroom dealing, O’Hanlon wrote, but he never believed it. “I have no evidence implicating the honorable ministers in corruption and have no reason to believe that the rumors sweeping Kampala at the time were actually true,” O’Hanlon wrote.
Amama Mbabazi (above), Uganda’s security minister and the official named in Lanier’s cable — in which Lanier told his superiors that the United States might consider revoking Mbabazi’s U.S. visa — said he was equally perplexed by what the cable had to say about his relationship with Italy’s Eni and Britain’s Heritage Oil. He said:
These allegations are absolutely untrue. I have never received even an offer let alone payment from Heritage or ENI of that kind or for anything. However at that time there was report in The Times of London which did not name anyone but talked about corruption over the deal. What surprised me is that the embassy believes that the allegations are true and concluded that the deal showed signs of high level corruption in Uganda’s oil sector. This is incredible. I am surprised they would make a statement like that without cross checking with me about my alleged involvement.
Eni also said that Lanier was far off the mark, and that it intended legal action against WikiLeaks. “ENI denies the serious allegations which are completely without foundation and has instructed its lawyers to initiate legal proceedings to compensate for any damage caused to the company’s reputation,” a spokesman told Agence France-Presse.
More from Foreign Policy
Is Cold War Inevitable?
A new biography of George Kennan, the father of containment, raises questions about whether the old Cold War—and the emerging one with China—could have been avoided.
So You Want to Buy an Ambassadorship
The United States is the only Western government that routinely rewards mega-donors with top diplomatic posts.
Can China Pull Off Its Charm Offensive?
Why Beijing’s foreign-policy reset will—or won’t—work out.
Turkey’s Problem Isn’t Sweden. It’s the United States.
Erdogan has focused on Stockholm’s stance toward Kurdish exile groups, but Ankara’s real demand is the end of U.S. support for Kurds in Syria.
Sign up for Morning Brief
Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter with what’s coming up around the world today. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
