One-degree of separation: The "Nadhmi Auchi Scrub Gallery" grows ... again (Updated 4x)

The Nadhmi Auchi webscrubbing continues. Martin Bright of The New Statesman reported April 22, 2008, that the UK's Guardian/Observer "has been forced to pull down five articles about Nadhmi Auchi, the Iraqi businessman convicted of fraud in France in 2003. Auchi has been on the warpath since his name was connected with Tony Rezko, the Illinois fundraiser currently on trial in America, who was one of Barack Obama's earliest backers. In the UK, The Times has been pursuing the story with impressive tenacity."

Update #1: Another version of the article was published April 23, 2008, on Mr. Auchi's Middle East Online website.

Note the comment "Tracking even the search engines."

Here is list of the articles. Bright plans to post links from elsewhere on the internet, so check back to the original article link.

1. "Labour blocks extradition of Iraqi tycoon", Observer, February 2, 2003

2. "Billionaire linked to Labour arrested in London", Guardian, April 2, 2003

3. "So, Norman, any regrets this time?", Observer, April 6, 2003

4. "Tycoon in quiz over ties to Labour", Observer, April 6, 2003

5. "Politics of sleaze", Observer, November 16, 2003

6. "MP questions Iraq role of Briton tainted over Elf" (this has also been titled "British fraudster to profit from Iraq contract"), Observer, November 16, 2003

Update #2: Middle East Online reported April 21, 2008:

CONT'd: This is not the first time a European media outlet falsely published allegations about the British tycoon and later apologised for misreporting.

United Kingdom newspapers The Sunday Times and Mail On Sunday apologised to Auchi for wrongly reporting in February 2005 that he was embroiled in a US investigation.

The Sunday Times said that its report was based on an internal United States Department of Defense report which was subsequently discredited.

Another British newspaper, The Financial Times, apologised to Auchi for making mistakes in an article published on 11 November 2003, which linked him to alleged corrupt practices in a mobile phone contracts deal in Iraq.

The article, headlined “US delays mobile phone contracts to investigate,” stated that US authorities in Iraq had launched an investigation into the award of mobile phone operators licences to inquire into possible corrupt practices, and that the investigation would focus on Auchi’s role in the awarding of the contracts.

The paper published a correction that stated the US Government ultimately decided not to pursue the investigation, beyond a preliminary enquiry, as there was no evidence of any wrongdoing on Auchi’s part.

Update #3:: Also see related April 20, 2008, Gateway Pundit article What Newsweek Didn't Tell You About Obama & Nadhmi Auchi.

Update #4:: Middle East Online published yet another version on May 9, 2008, entitled "Times sorry for misleading article about Auchi. UK newspaper apologises to British tycoon for misleading news story published in hard copy and on its Web site."