nomad
2011-12-01 03:35:09 UTC
Blair government tried to get Saif a place at Oxford before London School
of Economics gave him dubious PhD
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2068183/London-School-Economics-failed-accepting-1-5m-donation-Gaddafi-regime-report-concludes.html
Tony Blair's government tried to pressurise Oxford University into giving
Saif Gaddafi a place to study – but he was refused because he was not
bright enough.
Profesor Valpy FitzGerald, head of Oxford’s department for International
Development, said he was contacted by a senior foreign office official in
2002 asking to take on Saif for an MA in developmental economics or
development studies.
Prof FitzGerald said he told the official there were concerns about Saif’s
academic ability – he ‘had no social science training and his degree did
not meet the requisite quality standard’. The matter was dropped.
The revelation came after the London School of Economics accepted a
£1.5million ‘donation’ from Saif – despite evidence the money came from
illegal bribes paid by foreign businesses to secure lucrative work in
Libya.
A damning official report concluded the cash could have been paid to
Colonel Gaddafi’s playboy son by contractors trying to ‘gain favour’ with
the tyrannical dictator.
Astonishingly, the donation was formally accepted on the same day that
Saif received his controversial PhD in a graduation ceremony at the LSE.
The report, by former Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf, revealed Saif’s
academic career in London was littered with complaints of cheating. But
despite the allegations, an independent review by the University of
London concluded the 38-year-old should not be stripped of his PhD.
Saif was captured by rebels following the overthrow of his father’s
regime and is set to be put on trial. If found guilty, he is likely to be
executed.
In his 188-page report, Lord Woolf said the combination of the cheating
allegations and the donations created an ‘unfortunate perception’ about
the LSE’s activities.
His review was commissioned following the resignation of Sir Howard
Davies as the university’s director in March in the wake of staggering
revelations of its extensive links with the Gaddafi regime.
In addition to the Saif donation, the university also signed a
£2.2million deal to train the Libyan civil service.
Sir Howard also took on a dual role as Tony Blair’s economic envoy to
Libya and an adviser to a Libyan Government investment fund.
Lord Woolf’s review details staggering management failures at the top of
the LSE in its handling of the donation.
University officials failed to reveal details of the origins of the
money, which they uncovered in a due diligence report, to the LSE’s
governing council when it was considering the donation.
The money was ostensibly a donation from Saif Gaddafi’s Gaddafi
International Charity and Development Foundation.
But LSE officials found it could in fact have originated in payments from
contractors seeking lucrative work in the North African country –
including one with a conviction for bribery. Lord Woolf said that
instead of raising ‘real concerns’, the report was effectively ignored.
He concluded: ‘If what the LSE was told by Saif about the source of the
donation is taken at face value, the due diligence obtained on the gift
should have raised real concerns.
‘The funding was said to be coming from payments made to Gaddafi’s
foundation by foreign contractors operating in Libya, one of which,
according to the due diligence available at the time, had a prior
conviction for bribery.’
He added: ‘Why would foreign companies operating in Libya want to donate
to the LSE through the conduit of Saif’s foundation?’
The report also criticised Professor David Held, then head of political
science at the university, who made a presentation to the university
council about the donation despite an ‘obvious conflict of interest’.
His centre was set to receive the money and, bizarrely, he had also
became a member of the board of Gaddafi’s foundation.
At the second meeting of the council to consider the donation in October
2009, Sir Howard was not even present.
Lord Woolf stated: ‘In the event, council was not told important
information about the sources of the donation.
‘Sir Howard, ought to have taken a view on the sources of the donation
himself, rather than leaving it to the academic who was to receive the
donation.’
He makes 15 recommendations, including calling for an ‘ethics code’ for
officials to apply when considering donations.
It should also make clear what outside assistance postgraduate students
are allowed to receive.
The LSE received £300,000 of the money that was promised but the rest was
never paid. Last night Judith Rees, the new director of the LSE, said:
‘The publication of this report will help LSE move on from this unhappy
chapter in its otherwise celebrated history. ‘It is consoling that Lord
Woolf finds that no academic or other staff member at LSE acted other
than in what they perceived to be the best interest of the school.’
of Economics gave him dubious PhD
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2068183/London-School-Economics-failed-accepting-1-5m-donation-Gaddafi-regime-report-concludes.html
Tony Blair's government tried to pressurise Oxford University into giving
Saif Gaddafi a place to study – but he was refused because he was not
bright enough.
Profesor Valpy FitzGerald, head of Oxford’s department for International
Development, said he was contacted by a senior foreign office official in
2002 asking to take on Saif for an MA in developmental economics or
development studies.
Prof FitzGerald said he told the official there were concerns about Saif’s
academic ability – he ‘had no social science training and his degree did
not meet the requisite quality standard’. The matter was dropped.
The revelation came after the London School of Economics accepted a
£1.5million ‘donation’ from Saif – despite evidence the money came from
illegal bribes paid by foreign businesses to secure lucrative work in
Libya.
A damning official report concluded the cash could have been paid to
Colonel Gaddafi’s playboy son by contractors trying to ‘gain favour’ with
the tyrannical dictator.
Astonishingly, the donation was formally accepted on the same day that
Saif received his controversial PhD in a graduation ceremony at the LSE.
The report, by former Lord Chief Justice Lord Woolf, revealed Saif’s
academic career in London was littered with complaints of cheating. But
despite the allegations, an independent review by the University of
London concluded the 38-year-old should not be stripped of his PhD.
Saif was captured by rebels following the overthrow of his father’s
regime and is set to be put on trial. If found guilty, he is likely to be
executed.
In his 188-page report, Lord Woolf said the combination of the cheating
allegations and the donations created an ‘unfortunate perception’ about
the LSE’s activities.
His review was commissioned following the resignation of Sir Howard
Davies as the university’s director in March in the wake of staggering
revelations of its extensive links with the Gaddafi regime.
In addition to the Saif donation, the university also signed a
£2.2million deal to train the Libyan civil service.
Sir Howard also took on a dual role as Tony Blair’s economic envoy to
Libya and an adviser to a Libyan Government investment fund.
Lord Woolf’s review details staggering management failures at the top of
the LSE in its handling of the donation.
University officials failed to reveal details of the origins of the
money, which they uncovered in a due diligence report, to the LSE’s
governing council when it was considering the donation.
The money was ostensibly a donation from Saif Gaddafi’s Gaddafi
International Charity and Development Foundation.
But LSE officials found it could in fact have originated in payments from
contractors seeking lucrative work in the North African country –
including one with a conviction for bribery. Lord Woolf said that
instead of raising ‘real concerns’, the report was effectively ignored.
He concluded: ‘If what the LSE was told by Saif about the source of the
donation is taken at face value, the due diligence obtained on the gift
should have raised real concerns.
‘The funding was said to be coming from payments made to Gaddafi’s
foundation by foreign contractors operating in Libya, one of which,
according to the due diligence available at the time, had a prior
conviction for bribery.’
He added: ‘Why would foreign companies operating in Libya want to donate
to the LSE through the conduit of Saif’s foundation?’
The report also criticised Professor David Held, then head of political
science at the university, who made a presentation to the university
council about the donation despite an ‘obvious conflict of interest’.
His centre was set to receive the money and, bizarrely, he had also
became a member of the board of Gaddafi’s foundation.
At the second meeting of the council to consider the donation in October
2009, Sir Howard was not even present.
Lord Woolf stated: ‘In the event, council was not told important
information about the sources of the donation.
‘Sir Howard, ought to have taken a view on the sources of the donation
himself, rather than leaving it to the academic who was to receive the
donation.’
He makes 15 recommendations, including calling for an ‘ethics code’ for
officials to apply when considering donations.
It should also make clear what outside assistance postgraduate students
are allowed to receive.
The LSE received £300,000 of the money that was promised but the rest was
never paid. Last night Judith Rees, the new director of the LSE, said:
‘The publication of this report will help LSE move on from this unhappy
chapter in its otherwise celebrated history. ‘It is consoling that Lord
Woolf finds that no academic or other staff member at LSE acted other
than in what they perceived to be the best interest of the school.’