Yes, I wonder how much the British government was either involved in or knew about any untoward behavior which was going on at the time that the Saudi contract was made, or at the time in which any of the other contracts to which the allegations relate were being made. Could there perhaps be something that the British government itself is hiding?

As you say, it is very difficult to know where the line is in situations like this. Certainly, it would be unfair to expect BAE to just sit back and miss out on multi-billion dollar contracts because it decided to take a stand based on integrity. But I am still very uncomfortable with any allegations of bribery not being properly investigated, and in spite of the difficulty facing BAE, I do not feel that the answer is for politicians to intervene in order for the company to avoid proper scrutiny.

Naturally, it must be borne in mind that BAE may not indeed turn out to have knowingly paid bribes (innocent until proven guilty). But I still think that this is something which should be decided through proper legal proceedings, not through political intervention to avoid scrutiny

I can certainly appreciate the dilemmas facing western companies during the process of vying for business in countries where contracts are difficult to obtain in absence of the payment of bribes.

That said, I feel that the western world should strive to be a shinning example with regard to best practice in all areas of business, including that of ethical dealings with foreign governments. If western companies are not held responsible for their actions, that will serve only to entrench poor practices throughout much of the world.