Irish company linked to Sudanese arms deal
By Mark Hilliard
BELFAST, Nov 16, 2004 (The Irish Independent) — An Irish company has been linked with a controversial multi-million euro arms sale to war-torn Sudan in a report to be published today.
The Department of Trade and Employment said yesterday it would now “examine the matter”.
Cork-based Sinclair Holdings 7 was investigated by the department last month following media reports that it had been involved in a brokerage deal of 50 Ukranian battle tanks to the Sudanese Military Industry Corporation last August.
However, last night the company described the claims as “bizarre”.
It described itself as a dormant shelf company without even a bank account.
A letter to Amnesty International from Trade Minister Michael Ahern at the beginning of the month stated there was no evidence of any involvement in brokering activities by an Irish company and that the one in question had not traded since its establishment in 1990.
However, Ukranian documentation of an authorised deal naming Sinclair Holdings 7, known as “an end use certificate” – has since been discovered and submitted to the department.
According to Amnesty International, the certificate, a copy of which has been seen by the Irish Independent suggests that the company had been authorised to supply the weaponry.
In a statement yesterday, the Department of Trade and Enterprise confirmed: “Amnesty International has asked the Minster to investigate further the allegations surrounding an Irish registered company and the Department is examining the matter.”
Although Ireland is covered by an EU embargo on arms supplies to the region, Amnesty International says there is no Irish legislation covering the brokering of weapons deals from a non-EU country.
They have expressed concern that weapons deals with the Sudanese Government – not forbidden through UN sanctions – are used by the Sudanese to supply violent militia groups in the region who commit atrocities against the civilian population.
The latest revelations are part of a new report, ‘Sudan: Arming the Perpetrators of Grave Abuses in Darfur’, to be published today, which highlights the Irish registered company’s alleged brokering activities.
“Despite an EU agreement to control arms brokering, Ireland does not currently have any legislation controlling the activities of Irish arms brokers who arrange arms supplies from foreign countries,” the report notes.