The British Government’s evacuation of its subjects from Libya was wrong on so many levels.

Some criticised it for being late and disorganised. Others question if it was even necessary, since neither side in the civil conflict is targeting foreign citizens. A third school of thought is that people who choose to work in a place like Libya do so at their own risk.

An additional layer of controversy came with the news that HM’s officials paid “fees for services” to some of their Libyan counterparts which were bribes in all but name in order to expedite matters.

Private businesses operating in places like Libya often have to do the same. The blame for this rests 100% with the officials who demand bribes, and not at all with the businesses who have to pay them. After all, no business owner wants to incur extra costs, but he may have no choice if he wants to stay in business in such places.

This does not stop government officials prosecuting businesses for being the victims of other government officials.

The same British government which has now bribed Libyan officials has in the very recent past effectively solicited a bribe from BAE Systems in return for not prosecuting them for bribery, and been guilty of gross negligence in its failure to stop British businessman Bill Shaw been jailed by the Afghan government on a particularly ridiculous charge of bribery.

The same British government would also probably have been loud in its condemnation of any British business which paid such “fees for services” to Libyan officials to expedite what it needed done, even if that was to protect its own employees.

The same British government would indeed prosecute such a business if it could.

We can be confident that no British official will face prosecution.

One law for us, another law for them ...again.