The award-winning Frontline documentary Black Money delves into the dark side of global business, uncovering the often-secret payments known as “black money” that multinational companies used to gain billions of dollars in contracts. Through interviews with experts in the field, including British reporter David Leigh, Lowell Bergman reveals a web of deceit and manipulation involving a significant international arms deal between Saudi Arabia and Britain.
Leigh was instrumental in uncovering the shady machinations surrounding The Dove (or Al Yamamah), an $80 billion arms deal between British aerospace giant BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia’s royal family. He describes these so-called “pots of black money” as funds with no accountability or oversight—funds that can be used for any purpose, including embezzlement. In this case, Prince Bandar bin Sultan is identified as one of the main players involved in orchestrating the deal.
Black Money offers an in-depth look at how big business works at its darkest level. Not only does it shed light on this complicated case, but it also explores how this type of corruption continues to occur across the world today. Viewers are encouraged to watch this riveting program from start to finish to see how these deals are made behind closed doors and what we can do to prevent them from happening in the future.
