Smith & Wesson has also bribed the Turkish police

American light weapons producer Smith & Wesson was fined because of bribery in its international affairs.

After an investigation conducted by The American Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), which regulates the U.S. capital markets, Smith & Wesson was fined $2 million. Even though the company has declared that all the staff who was involved in the bribery incident were all laid off, it will nevertheless pay the fine.

The incident that has caused Smith & Wesson to be fined occurred in Pakistan, when the company offered bribes to sell 548 pistols to the Security Department. The company recorded a profit of $107,000 from this sale and $11,000 of this was distributed as bribes.

This is not the first incident the company was involved in. Before that, they were caught red-handed while trying to bribe an FBI agent disguised as an official of an African government. It was claimed that, other than Pakistan, the company has paid bribes in Indonesia, Nepal, Bangladesh and yes, in Turkey. 

We do not know yet whether those receiving this bribe were “parallel Muslims” or “pro-government Muslims.” What we know is that the only criterion to be promoted in the security department in our country or any other high position is what our Prime Minister and presidential candidate Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has declared as, “As long as you do not steal state’s money, then it is not bribery.”

Well, this is a serious accusation and has to be investigated. Our prosecutors may not have heard of it, but a story was printed in Financial Times on July 28. There are other serious sources; if our esteemed prosecutor type “Smith & Wesson hit by bribery penalty” on an Internet search engine, then all the stories will appear in front of them.

I don’t know if anybody remembers this. It was eight years ago when the General Directory of Security held a tender for “semi-automatic pistols.” 

Local weapon producers had gone to court to annul the tender on grounds that the tender specifications were prepared particularly to protect a foreign weapons producer. In the specifications, the “production method clause” was pointing to a foreign firm; whereas, in the same period, after long tests, the Land, Air and Naval Forces and the Gendarmerie selected local producers’ pistols.

 What kind of a role did an abettor play in the preparation of the specifications as such? I wonder if our prosecutors will be interested in why this kind of a production method was cited in the specifications.
Let’s remember, also, in April last year, the weapons purchase specifications were changed for the Security Department. Why?

Boston Business Journal (BBJ) has this story: In 2009, when Smith & Wesson bribed an Indonesian police department, “That same year, Smith & Wesson made improper payments through an agent to Turkish officials in an attempt to sell handcuffs to Turkish police and firearms to the Turkish military.” The deal did not happen but improper payments were made to officials. 

I guess this should interest the Chief Prosecutor in Ankara first. Let us see if this will also be like the Siemens investigation and be turned around to be swept under the carpet? If we look at the big picture, yes, it will be like this.

The chaste prosecutors of the country will take the chaste thieves of the country under their wings and protect them.

As long as you do not laugh aloud in public, cover your hair, fast in Ramadan, perform your daily prayers, give alms and go to hajj, then there is no problem.

The money of the infidel is halal to the Muslim, isn’t it?