Update On Case against Halliburton/KBR: In their Own Words
Within the last several months it has become even more clear why Halliburton/KBR has been fighting so hard to block taking of evidence about their actions at their Qarmat Ali project in southern Iraq in 2003.
As last updated, the Oregon federal judge, Paul Papak, along with the Ninth Circuit of Appeals, rejected many of the “legal” immunity claims, allowing depositions, or sworn testimony under oath, of Halliburton/KBR managers to continue in Houston, various other locations in the United States, and overseas. United States District Judge Vanessa Gilmore in federal court in Houston has rejected repeated attempts to block this discovery process, as has Judge Papak. Both cases are proceeding with trial preparations, and we appreciate and need the cooperation of everyone to ensure we stay on track.
I hope you will take a few moments to watch some of the testimony that has been taken in the case so far. The facts being uncovered, as well as the indications of important facts that are still being concealed, points to a government contractor that was able to change its original deal with the United States government to attempt to avoid accountability for any level of misconduct, no matter how knowing or intentional. Our fight is to ensure that they don’t avoid accountability, and to ensure that the facts about Qarmat Ali and the veterans who served there are fully revealed.
As you will see, while current Halliburton/KBR employees are still attempting to stick to the same story that Halliburton/KBR was not aware of the dangers at Qarmat Ali for the many months they exposed our soldiers and British servicemen to one of the most toxic substances ever classified by the United States government, recent testimony of a former Halliburton/KBR corporate headquarters manager confirms that they were well aware of what awaited the men at Qarmat Ali before any of the men set foot at Qarmat Ali.
At the same time, Halliburton/KBR managers knew that shutting down the Qarmat Ali project to avoid exposing the men at the plant threatened significant “award” fees for making schedule deadlines under the billion-dollar plus Restore Iraqi Oil (RIO) contract. As a result, the plant was not shut down for remediation until the very end of August 2003, when Lt. Col. Jim Gentry of the Indiana National Guard saw senior KBR managers at the site in full protective gear (including respirators), while his men were unprotected from whatever KBR managers were still concealing from the men on the ground.
