Fed: British customs official to appear at AWB kickbacks inquiry

AAP General News (Australia)
04-27-2006
Fed: British customs official to appear at AWB kickbacks inquiry

A British customs official has been given the all clear by her government to appear
at the COLE inquiry into the AWB kickbacks scandal.

FELICITY JOHNSTON will give evidence .. probably next month .. about how she alerted
the Australian government six years ago about the scandal.

The inquiry's lawyers want to question Ms JOHNSTON about how she alerted Australian
government officials in early 2000 about complaints AWB was paying kickbacks to SADDAM
HUSSEIN's regime.

At the time .. she was on secondment from the British government to the United Nations'
headquarters in New York .. where companies such as AWB had their contracts to export
goods to Iraq under the oil-for-food program .. processed.

Ms JOHNSTON is expected to be the final witness to appear at the inquiry.

AAP RTV bt/hn/crh/bart

KEYWORD: AWB JOHNSTON (SYDNEY)

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