Porridge for BA manager

[BlueRay]

looks like the department of justice have got their first scalp in relation to the cargo price fixing.

Rumoured BAmanager from cargo to get 8 moths and a hefty personal financial penalty.

In this age of greed its about time those who rob the consumer are seen to be punished. I can think of a few more crooks at BA who could do with a little helping of porridge too.

What do ppruners think of this latest news?

[apaddyinuk]

Flight have it reported here

Jail for former BA exec charged in price-fixing probe (http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/10/01/316691/jail-for-former-ba-exec-charged-in-price-fixing-probe.html)

[wobble2plank]

Fantastic to see the US DoJ campaigning for the forces of justice across the globe.

While I agree that scurrilous business dealings need to be punished to protect everyone, I do find it a touch rich that whilst this was going on half the US carriers were being 'protected' and underwritten by the same US tax payer.

Level playing field for competition? From the States? More like a vertical cliff!

US, land of the free, unless you're not a 'citizen' then its the most closed, locked trading community in the world.

If they can extradite one of our citizens on price fixing charges and sling him in jail, can we have the two A10 muppets who were in the wrong place and told they were in the wrong place, mis-identified, bombed, strafed and killed our troops in Iraq? No? Oh well!

Ah well, life goes on! :E

[Ex Cargo Clown]

I hope someone has bought Keith some "soap on a rope".

Good riddance to him.

[hunterboy]

sadly, that is realpolitik....when you are the richest, most powerful country in the world, then you can do what you want.And btw, I'd like to see more of the BA "leadership team" behind bars too.

[Poof in Boots]

The cause of this whole price fixing thing is the way senior managers are paid at BA. If they were merely paid a salary, why take the risk and break the law?

[cockney steve]

Meanwhile, the powers that be,quietly ignore the white-collar trousering of huge sums in the financial sector....these legalised fraudsters are then allowed to cut and run, leaving hollow, worthless shells behind for the shareholders. :mad:

[RetiredBA/BY]

Well said Steve. So the Amricans want their pound of flesh because there was some overcharging in Cargo rates, big deal. And I see some smart ass US lawyer, proabaly trying to make some more money for himself, is asking BA and Virgin pax who think they might have been overcharged a few dollars to join in a class action against BA and VS. Whoopee do !

Now I ask, just what are the US authorities, so keen to see retribution against BA, VS, and a few others, going to do to recompense those of us, and there are many, who have lost tens, thousands, hundreds of thousands even millions of dollars and pounds due to the global economic crisis precipitated by greedy, incompetent and arguably corrupt, idiots (and I hear that word used more and more frequently in the financial media when referring to those people) in the US financial industry, basically by lending large amounts of money to people who had no hope of repaying it ?

The Department of Justice ? OK, lets see some, REAL justice and get the D of J directing all their efforts to getting at the key miscreants in this debacle.

[Spaced Out]

The 1st thread mentioned 3, sorry, a bit out of it, who are the others then?

[FlyGooseFly!]

I am slightly bemused how anyone can allow themselve to be convicted of price fixing - how was it done ? Photos of clandestine meetings, Emails, hard copy ???

If one provideds a service or manufactures a product it is about a morning's work to call all your competitors asking for bogus quotations and price hikes can be casually suggested down at the golf club.

[Dysag]

Price hikes casually suggested down at the golf club have been illegal for years. Where have you been?
Phone calls and e-mails are all on record.

[VNAV PATH]

Lufthansa Managment told the truth itself to avoid more ...

Am I correct ?

[Spaced Out]

Yes, very Germanic of them. ;)

[DCS99]

Add up the fines:

Former British Airways Executive, Keith Packer, Pleads Guilty To Price-fixing Conspiracy – www.BackgroundNow.com Blog (http://www.backgroundnow.com/blog/2008/09/30/former-british-airways-executive-keith-packer-pleads-guilty-to-price-fixing-conspiracy/)

It won't pay off the deficit, but it helps a bit.

US Hypocrisy is stunning.

[Bruce Wayne]

The hypocrisy is stunning.

Having had two IDG's for a 767 stolen; which were then sold with falsified paperwork, and then installed on an aircraft in active service, all of which happened in the USofA, the FBI the DoJ, the FAA have all refused to do anything on grounds ranging from you're not a US citizen to we're not interested if it's less than 1m per item.

The only people who have opened an investigation is the Economic Crimes Unit of the Police Department; who have been stonewalled by these agencies, the very agencies who are supposedly there to prevent and enforce.

[LCYslicker]

In many places (US, EU), a squealer gets a light ride from the authorities. Lufi senior mgt, for reasons unknown, uncovered evidence that middle mgt had been phoning other airlines' cargo divisions to make sure that everyone carried on copying Lufi's cargo fuel price surcharge system as crude/kero climbed. Lufi squealed, a global investigation began, and BA quickly squealed as well. Ironically, Virgin's lawyers, pulling out info for the cargo enquiry, found evidence of the pax fuel price surchage collaboration with BA (dunno how they found that in VS's cargo biz) so squealed to the UK competition authorities.

Air France Cargo is being investigated, too, and has taken a big financial provision against the fines. Now, what will France's attitude be when the US tries to extradite a French citizen for some American porridge?

[FlyGooseFly!]

posted by Dysag Price hikes can be casually suggested down at the golf club
Price hikes casually suggested down at the golf club have been illegal for years. Where have you been?
Phone calls and e-mails are all on record.

Indeed. I know the law - it was just the fact that those involved were stupid enough to leave sufficient EVIDENCE lying about !

.

[ShotOne]

What is sickening is that had these individuals had the foresight to be born in the USA and committed an alleged offence against someone over here, there is no way they would be in prison now.

[Spitfire boy]

What happened to the legal proceedings against other BA managers for fuel surcharge fixing?