Washington, October 01: A US judge has issued an arrest warrant for an Australian security co-ordinator embroiled in a kickback scandal in Afghanistan.
Scott Anthony Walker, accused of conspiring to solicit kickbacks from private security vendors in Afghanistan while working for an American engineering company joint venture, left the war-torn country on May 20 this year after US Government investigators questioned him.
According to a formerly sealed affidavit, in or around February this year, Mr Walker allegedly offered to use his position on an influential committee to award a security subcontract to a vendor in return for payment of “$US250,000 ($280,000), at a minimum”.
“You are commanded to arrest and bring before the United States magistrate judge without unnecessary delay Scott Anthony Walker,” the arrest warrant, signed by US District Court judge John F. Anderson, and distributed to US law enforcement agencies, stated.
The US Government believes 36-year-old Mr Walker is in Australia.
US federal prosecutors have charged two of Walker’s alleged co-conspirators, American citizens Ryan McMonigle and Bryan Lee Burrows, for their involvement in the alleged kickback scheme.
Burrows, an Oklahoma resident formerly employed in Kabul by US law enforcement training company Civilian Police International, has agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors.
As part of the plea deal, Burrows will testify against alleged co-conspirators if called upon.
Burrows is scheduled to be sentenced in the US District Court in Virginia on December 4 and faces a maximum sentence of five years in jail.
The firms, under a joint venture, were awarded a $US1.4 billion Afghanistan Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project contract by the US Government in 2006.
In April the joint venture issued requests for a subcontract in eastern Afghanistan and Mr Walker was a member of the bid technical evaluation committee.
In the affidavit, it is alleged Burrows and another man attended Mr Walker’s Afghanistan residence.
“In the meeting between the three of them, Walker said that he was on the TEC and that he, along with a fellow TEC member, were willing to vote to steer the subcontract to whichever vendor paid them $US250,000, at a minimum,” the affidavit states.
Mr Walker told investigators Burrows “spoke of asking for a million dollars” from bidding companies and Burrows said Mr Walker would receive 25 per cent, it is alleged.
During the interview, Mr Walker allowed special agent Burgos to review his private email account and “four emails of interest were found”.
Mr Walker also agreed to call Burrows while the special agents monitored and recorded the conversation.
Prosecutors allege Mr Walker told the special agents he planned to depart Afghanistan on May 21 for four weeks of home leave in Australia, but on May 20 it was discovered that Mr Walker had already left for Australia.
The US Justice Department declined to comment on whether Mr Walker would be extradited to the US.
—Agencies