Halliburton has been under scrutiny since news of the numerous single-bid contracts they were awarded in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, no one thought the Nigerian government would be the ones going after them. To make matters even more complicated is the fact that the Nigerian government is known to be quite corrupt itself. The fact that the country will be holding presidential elections in April 2011 casts more doubts on the actions of the Nigerian Government.
Undoubtedly there is a lot of hypocrisy around the decision to charge Cheney. On one side. it seems more like another political show being played out with no real chance of the former vice president ever facing any serious consequences. On the other hand, it makes you wonder what level of corruption Halliburton was engaged in, to motivate one of the most corrupt countries in the world to feel charges needed to be filed.
Whatever the result, it is very unlikely Cheney will ever be extradited to Nigeria. The most Nigerian officials can do is smear his name, but then again he was never a really popular guy. While Nigerian officials should try to prosecute all those who violate their laws, they should focus more of their energy on fighting the corruption that is ravaging their nation. Having people like former dictator Ibrahim Babangida still active in their political theater is an excellent indicator of the corruption Nigeria faces from within. If they actually went after those corrupt officials within their own ranks, that would be more beneficial to the Nigerian people than going after Dick Cheney.
These developments may not have too much of an impact against Cheney, but it definitely adds to Halliburton's recent negative image caused by the many negative situations they have been involved with, like the BP oil rig disaster and war contracts.
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