US Navy officers investigated in ‘Fat Leonard’ scandal 美國海軍爆出腐敗丑聞

US investigators are probing three dozen senior navy officers to determine if they were connected with a scandal that involved top US brass exchanging military secrets for cash, lavish meals and prostitutes.

美國調(diào)查人員正在調(diào)查30多名海軍高級軍官，以確定他們是否與一起丑聞有牽連，這起丑聞涉及美軍高官用軍事機(jī)密換取現(xiàn)金、奢華飯局和妓女服務(wù)。

Investigators from the Department of Justice and the Navy Criminal Investigative Service are probing the officers — who are either admirals or captains in line for promotion to admiral — as part of a multiyear investigation into a Malaysian contractor known as “Fat Leonard” who used his connections with the US Navy to bilk the service out of millions of dollars.

美國司法部(DoJ)和美國海軍犯罪調(diào)查處(NCIS)的調(diào)查人員正在調(diào)查涉案海軍軍官(這些人不是海軍上將就是有望晉升上將的上校級軍官)，作為針對“胖子萊納德”(Fat Leonard)的多年調(diào)查的一部分，此人是馬來西亞承包商，涉嫌利用其在美國海軍的人脈詐騙數(shù)百萬美元。

The Washington Post on Friday published an investigation into the scandal, which revealed how the contractor, a wealthy Malaysian whose real name is Leonard Glenn Francis and who was caught in a sting in California in 2013, had cultivated senior officers in the seventh fleet which operates in the Pacific.

《華盛頓郵報》(Washington Post)上周五報道了針對這起丑聞的調(diào)查，報道稱，上述馬來西亞富商的真名是萊納德•格倫•弗朗西斯(Leonard Glenn Francis)，2013年在加州的一場誘捕行動中落網(wǎng)。他曾拉攏在太平洋海域執(zhí)行任務(wù)的美國海軍第七艦隊的高級軍官。

Fat Leonard, weighing 350lbs at the time of his arrest, pleaded guilty to fraud in California last year. He admitted to routinely overcharging the US Navy for services such as refuelling at ports across Asia where his company, Glenn Defense Marine Asia, had contracts with the US and other western navies.

被捕時體重高達(dá)350磅的“胖子萊納德”，去年在加州承認(rèn)犯有欺詐罪。他承認(rèn)經(jīng)常為各項服務(wù)向美國海軍收取過高費(fèi)用，這些服務(wù)包括在亞洲各地的港口為艦船加油，他旗下的格倫亞洲海上防務(wù)公司(GDMA)曾與美國和其他西方國家的海軍訂立這方面的合同。

One US military official confirmed that criminal investigators were looking into the cases of officers who had served in the Pacific during the years that the bribery had occurred to work out if they were involved in what is seen as the worst national security scandal to hit the US Navy in decades.

一位美國軍方官員證實(shí)，刑事調(diào)查人員正在調(diào)查在賄賂發(fā)生期間在太平洋服役的軍官，以確定他們是否曾被拉下水，本案已被視為數(shù)十年來打擊美國海軍的最嚴(yán)重的國家安全丑聞。

The navy suffered a damaging scandal called “Tailhook” in 1991, which involved widespread sexual harassment. But the Fat Leonard case is seen as more serious since it allegedly involves the passing of military secrets to a man operating in a region where the US faces a rising challenge from China.

美國海軍曾在1991年爆出被稱為“尾鉤”(Tailhook)的性騷擾丑聞。但是“胖子萊納德”的案子被視為更嚴(yán)重，因為它涉及向在亞太地區(qū)活動的一名男子傳遞軍事機(jī)密，而美國在該地區(qū)面臨來自中國的不斷升級的挑戰(zhàn)。

The probe has drawn in approximately 10 per cent of the roughly 280 admirals in the US Navy. The military official said that while investigators were looking at a large number of top brass, some were only being scrutinised because they had served in the region during the period when the bribery occurred.

這場調(diào)查已牽涉美國海軍大約280名上將當(dāng)中的大約10%。上述軍方官員稱，盡管調(diào)查人員在調(diào)查大量高級軍官，但其中有些人只是因為在賄賂發(fā)生期間在該地區(qū)服役而受到關(guān)注。

According to the Washington Post, Fat Leonard liked to use photos of himself with senior navy officers to impress junior officers or suggest that he had influence that meant they should not question his activities.

《華盛頓郵報》稱，“胖子萊納德”喜歡用自己和海軍高級軍官的合影向下級軍官炫耀，或者暗示他擁有影響力，他們不應(yīng)該質(zhì)疑他的活動。

According to the Washington Post story, Fat Leonard used the allure of sex with prostitutes as a potent bribe. On one occasion, he allegedly videotaped a navy officer having sex with twin Vietnamese prostitutes in a hotel in Singapore. On other occasions, he procured prostitutes from escort services to entertain officers at parties after official events.

根據(jù)《華盛頓郵報》的報道，“胖子萊納德”利用與妓女性愛的誘惑作為一種強(qiáng)有力的行賄方式。據(jù)稱他有一次曾拍攝一名海軍軍官在新加坡的酒店與兩名越南妓女發(fā)生性關(guān)系。在其他場合，他曾從陪伴服務(wù)機(jī)構(gòu)召來妓女，讓她們在官方活動結(jié)束后的派對上接待軍官。

The justice department declined to comment on the details, but said “the investigation into those involved in this long-running corruption scheme continues apace, uncovering substantial wrongdoing”.

美國司法部拒絕就案情細(xì)節(jié)置評，但表示，“針對這個長期腐敗計劃的相關(guān)者的調(diào)查在繼續(xù)迅速推進(jìn)，揭露了重大不法行為”。