BRAZIL: Hiring of Locals as Mercenaries in Iraq Banned
The Sao Paulo Attorney General´s Office established as illegal the behavior of German subject Frank Guenter Salewski and the Body Guard Company, which were hiring army and reserve forces to work in Iraq, according to reports made public.
Brasilia, Feb 22 -- Brazil has banned the hiring of locals as mercenaries to aid occupation troops in Iraq.
The Sao Paulo Attorney General´s Office established as illegal the behavior of German subject Frank Guenter Salewski and the Body Guard Company, which were hiring army and reserve forces to work in Iraq, according to reports made public on Tuesday.
Those found guilty of this practice will now be fined with 10,000 reales ($3,700) per each mercenary hired, as ruled last week in Paraná state.
Sao Paulo legal representatives said investigations regarding this case have not finished yet because other companies will be summoned for questioning.
The hiring of mercenaries to protect the US facilities and troops in Iraq was revealed by media sources early February.
Reports unearthed that some 500 had already been recruited, and it was planned to use a Brazilian army area to train them.
The administration of President George W. Bush is having trouble hiring US citizens to work in Iraq, thus the search for an alternative work force, mainly in Latin America.
- 174 War & Disaster Profiteers Campaign