My NPR colleague JJ Sutherland recently filed this story about how a quiet Detroit suburb took on a giant military contractor in a legal battle that involved a massive arms deal, British fighter jets, a Saudi prince and billions of dollars in payments to a longtime ambassador to the United States.
Pictured above, Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, the man Harper Woods, Mich., alleges BAE Systems paid $2 billion over a period of about 20 years to win a fighter-jet contract.Harper Woods, Mich., has filed a lawsuit against a massive defense contractor, BAE Systems, over allegations that the company funneled payments to a member of the Saudi royal family.
In the process, this small city has become a central player in an investigation that spans continents, involves accusations of corruption on an unimaginable scale, and has players ranging from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair to a substitute teacher.
Link to text overview and audio, and documents related to a corporate ethics investigation of BAE.