I saw some comment on PARALAY’s site rgd that hole, but I forgot what they stated it was:(

the truth surfaces, sooner or later

FC Porto: Leaked Phone Taps Proof in Major Corruption Scandal
by
Jose V. Rodrigues

Correspondent

Written on January 21, 2010
MADRID, SPAIN – DECEMBER 08: FC Porto players celebrate beside referee Stephane Lannoy of France after scoring their third goal during the UEFA Champions League Group D match between Atletico Madrid and FC Porto at the Vicente Calderon stadium on December 8, 2009 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images) Denis Doyle/Getty Images

For most Portuguese football fans, the brand “FC Porto” is a synonym of corruption. The leader of the club for over 25 years, Mr. Pinto da Costa, is well known for not only being the most successful executive in the football world, but also because of the corruption scandals, which seem to be constantly associated with him

Not long ago, Platini threatened to ban FC Porto from the Champions League because of the same scandal, which brought many referees and executives to the court. Nonetheless, FCP did not get the ban and Platini became a laughing stock in Portugal.

Not even the Portuguese courts were able to punish FC Porto’s chairman, since the phone records that proved his involvement in the major corruptions scandal were not accepted as proof by the court.

Today the same phone taps, which were overruled by the court house, were posted on YouTube. The content is just a confirmation of what was already known by the general public.

The tapes include mostly talks between the Portuguese executive and major characters of the Portuguese refereeing scene. According to the conversations Pinto da Costa literally handpicked the officials responsible for FC Porto’s fixtures.

Bribes are also a topic. Money is not specifically mentioned, but nonetheless prostitution is broadly discussed under the term “fruit” (prostitutes) and the term “milk and coffee” (which refers to Latin-Brazilian prostitutes), which were offered to referees.

There is also another tape in which the Portuguese executive talks to the then-President of the Portuguese League, in order to ask him for a favor in a disciplinary case against Liedson for elbowing a FC Porto player.

One of the most scandalous tapes for international fans is the one which involves Deco, the famous midfield ace.

The Portuguese midfielder had thrown his boot at a referee after being sent off. Angry about this decision, Pinto da Costa asked a famous journal editor to publish an interview with Deco, in which the player would state that he would reconsider his place in the national team if he was to be punished for his actions against the referee.

The forged interview was carefully prepared, as was the hearing at the League’s Disciplinary Committee. Deco carefully followed the instructions of FC Porto’s chairman and was not punished by the league – a true scandal.

Now, Portugal eagerly awaits the outcome of this situation. Pinto da Costa has already filed a law suit concerning the leaked tapes. The Portuguese General Attorney is following the situation closely, trying to find those responsible for the publishing of those tapes, since they were held under a confidential status.

However, the question remains: How could Pinto da Costa not have been punished by the legal authorities?

Many suspect that Pinto da Costa also has some influence within the justice system, which is not too far-fetched. He has enjoyed some very intimate relationships with many famous politicians who still have a large influence in the legal system.

A “Godfather” plot in Portuguese.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/330214-fc-porto-leaked-phone-taps-proof-major-corruption-scandal

What kind of experience has SAAB regarding Carriers?

More welding problems prompt another investigation on Navy submarines

By Peter Frost

247-4744

11:44 PM EST, January 15, 2010

General Dynamics Electric Boat has launched another investigation into welds on at least one Virginia Class submarine after the company found that a shipbuilder at its Quonset Point, R.I., shipyard may not have properly evaluated the quality of the welds he was charged with inspecting.

The employee, who Electric Boat would identify only as a “trade worker,” worked on at least one submarine — the recently delivered New Mexico — though the probe could expand to include other boats, officials told the Daily Press this week.

Electric Boat, which builds submarines in a partnership with Northrop Grumman Corp.’s Newport News shipyard, notified the Navy “immediately” after it uncovered the issue Dec. 1, said Robert A. Hamilton, a company spokesman.

None of the welds in question involve so-called “subsafe” portions of submarines, which include all systems exposed to sea pressure or are critical to flooding recovery, Hamilton said.

After a preliminary investigation and assessment, Electric Boat and the Navy concluded that the welds in question would not pose an immediate risk “on the ships that were underway,” said Rear Adm. William H. Hilarides, the Navy’s program executive officer for submarines.

“We made sure that, if all the things (the worker) did were wrong, that there would be no threat to any of the ships,” Hilarides said. “That’s done, and we’re moving on.”

Neither the Navy nor Electric Boat would say how many subs could be affected. The company is still collecting and reviewing records and expects to conclude its investigation within the next several weeks.

Patricia K. Dolan, a spokeswoman for Naval Sea Systems Command, the Navy’s acquisition arm, said it is “inappropriate to provide any additional information regarding the ongoing (Electric Boat) malpractice investigation until its findings are presented to the Navy.”

The latest problems sharpen the focus on quality-control processes at Electric Boat, and — at least temporarily — dim the spotlight that’s been on Northrop over the last two years for similar issues.

Electric Boat’s ongoing investigation has not delayed any ship schedule, officials said. The Navy is scheduled to commission the New Mexico on March 27 at Naval Station Norfolk.

The probe is limited to one worker, who is still an employee of Electric Boat but has not been in his job since the investigation began, Hamilton said.

“We are thoroughly evaluating all work performed by the individual,” Hamilton said. “An important factor is that this was identified internally and fixed internally.”

Because final assembly and delivery of the New Mexico was handled in Newport News, Electric Boat is coordinating weld assessments and any potential corrective actions on the boat with Northrop.

Northrop deferred all questions on the issue to Electric Boat.

Construction problems on Virginia Class subs first surfaced in late 2007, when an investigation revealed that workers in Newport News engaged in improper welding procedures that could have led to cracking in internal pipes and joints on submarines. After a 16-month investigation, the Navy determined that those problems pose no risk to sailors and submarines.

In early 2009, a Newport News weld inspector admitted to signing off on the quality of welds that he did not inspect. The inspector, Robert Ruks, was fired. The issue is still under investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

Then last August, the Navy found that weapons-handling systems on at least four submarines were installed incorrectly by Newport News workers.

That investigation and the resulting repairs led to a delay in the delivery of the New Mexico, the sixth Virginia Class submarine that was supposed to be in the Navy’s hands in August and commissioned in November.

Northrop Grumman is still working through inspections and repairs on the other affected submarines, a process the company hopes to complete by the end of March.

Despite the problems, the New Mexico was completed in 70 months, four months ahead of the contract schedule and fastest of the six subs completed so far, the Navy said.

“We had four or five quality problems on New Mexico that came to light as we delivered the ship,” Hilarides said. “Each one of those was serious … (but) each one was extremely limited in the number of things that went wrong.”

Although the Navy has spent considerable time, resources and effort investigating problems on the Virginia Class subs, it has resulted in very little required repairs, Hilarides said.

“It’s a bad story because we can’t afford any quality problems on these ships,” he said. “But ultimately, (the problems) have been relatively small and we’ve been able to get high quality ships aside from all that.”

http://www.dailypress.com/business/dp-biz_submarines_0116jan16,0,5871025,print.story

That’s at least the third time that story has been posted here. Can we stop now?

I’m sorry, this story is dated from 12th January…and I’m just the messenger

According my sources the layout will be the same as above 😉

Refitted Sao Paulo returns to sea

http://www.janes.com/news/defence/idr/idr100108_1_n.shtml

Not true, only in February.