Foreign Office facing questions after £9 million contract given to firm accused of allegedly paying Taliban terrorists
THE Foreign Office is facing serious questions after it awarded a £9 million contract to a company accused of allegedly making payments to the Taliban, The Sun can reveal.
International development firm Chemonics was hired by mandarins last month to support heroic civil defence forces in Syria.
But in June 2020 the company was added to the list of defendants in a civil lawsuit filed by families of fallen and injured American soldiers.
Over 230 bereaved families are accusing Chemonics of breaching anti-terrorism laws by paying protection money to Afghan terrorists.
They want compensation for tragic deaths and incidents that happened between 2009 and 2017.
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The lawsuit alleges that Chemonics and 16 other firms either directly negotiated payoffs with the Taliban or allowed subcontractors to do deals with insurgents so their work could continue.
All 17 defendants, including Chemonics, have denied the allegations and filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. The motions are pending.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: “All Government contracts are subject to a robust due diligence process”.
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A spokesperson for Chemonics said: “It is Chemonics’ policy not to comment further on active lawsuits. Chemonics International does not support attacks against UK or U.S. service members, armed forces or civilian contractors who protected aid workers and local populations from insurgents. We pay tribute to the dedication and courage of UK and U.S. armed forces.
“During this challenging time in Afghanistan’s history, we remain devoted to our staff and former colleagues in Afghanistan and continue to assist with applying for relocation outside of Afghanistan.”