Report: Swiss Government Destroyed Files of Family Linked to Dr. Khan
Man admits to ABC News that his family was connected to Dr. Khan
Aug. 26, 2008— -- The Swiss government has confirmed that it destroyed extensive computer files and other documents pertaining to a Swiss family linked to smuggling nuclear technology to Libya and Iran, the New York Times reported Monday.
The documents and files reportedly shed light on the business dealings of the family – engineers Friedrich Tinner and his two sons – who were tied to Abdul Qadeer Khan, the Pakistani scientist who confessed to supplying nuclear weapons technology to the international nuclear black market.
Khan has since said that it was a false confession, telling ABC News Chief Investigative Correspondent Brian Ross in May that the Pakistani government and President Pervez Musharraf forced him to be a "scapegoat" for the "national interest."
Accusations long swirled around the Tinners, including that they acted as middlemen for Dr. Khan "in his dealings with rogue nations seeking nuclear equipment and expertise," the Times said.
The story referenced interviews with five current and former Bush administration officials, who reportedly said the U.S. had urged that the files be destroyed in order to hide a relationship between the Tinners and the C.I.A. The Times sources those officials with saying the C.I.A. paid the Tinners as much as $10 million to deliver information that helped undo Dr. Khan's nuclear black market.
Four years ago, ABC News tracked Urs Tinner to a small town in Switzerland, where he spoke to ABC News Senior Producer Rhonda Schwartz, admitting that his family was connected to Dr. Khan but claiming that they he had no idea their work was connected to the nuclear black market.
