OpEd:Jack
Ok I know this is a serious topic...however whenever I think of Spain Charo comes to mind:
http://youtu.be/aRmZzekrpDA
Sigh* on to the topic at hand...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ok I know this is a serious topic...however whenever I think of Spain Charo comes to mind:
http://youtu.be/aRmZzekrpDA
Sigh* on to the topic at hand...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BILBAO (Reuters) - A company from Spain's Basque country smuggled machinery to Iran for likely use in the country's nuclear program through an elaborate scheme involving a shell company in Turkey, Spanish tax authorities said on Monday.
Spain's tax agency
said the company had managed to send over seven machines designed to
make parts for turbines used in energy plants, in a scheme that violated
United Nations security council sanctions against Iran.
A source close to the operation named the company involved as ONA Electroerosion.
The machines, sold
for nearly 1 million euros ($1.30 million), were destined for use in
Iran's nuclear development program, according to the agency's
investigations to date.
The U.N., the
United States and the European Union have imposed sanctions on Iran for
refusing to halt nuclear enrichment, which Western powers fear is part
of a plan to amass the capability to produce nuclear weapons.
Iran argues its atomic work is for use in medicine and generating electricity.
The company, based
in the Basque municipality of Durango, had been denied a license to
export seven fan-manufacturing machines to Iran in September 2009,
precisely because of fears they could be used in the nuclear program.
But it later duped
Spanish customs by using an intermediary company set up in Turkey by its
Iranian business partner, and shipped the machinery to Istanbul before
dispatching it to Tehran.
Spain's tax agency said it had raided the company's premises on November 13, removing documents and other information it was still analyzing.
Its operation, dubbed "Kakum", began earlier this year, when it became suspicious of the company's activities.
No one has yet been
arrested or charged in relation to the scheme, the agency said, though
added those responsible could face prison sentences and a fine of close
to 6 million euros.
($1 = 0.7713 euros)
(Reporting by Arantza Goyaga in Bilbao and Enma Pinedo in Madrid; Writing by Sarah White; Editing by Sophie Hares)
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