(AFP) Posted Monday August 23, 2010 - 9:38am
The founder of the Blackwater security firm was questioned
on Monday in Abu Dhabi in a lawsuit filed by two former employees over
the company's operations in Iraq, a lawyer for the plaintiffs said.
"Mr
(Eric) Prince did appear for his deposition," or questioning under
oath, said Susan Burke, the lawyer for the two former Blackwater
employees who allege that Prince and companies he controlled defrauded
the US government.
"We had to go to court to compel the deposition," she told AFP.
Burke
said it was too early to say exactly how much money the lawsuit is
seeking, but added that, "My analysis is that by the time we reach the
jury, we will be seeking hundreds of millions of dollars."
Most of
that would go to the US government, but Brad and Melan Davis, the
former Blackwater employees who filed the lawsuit in December 2008,
would also receive a percentage, Burke said.
Prince moved to the
United Arab Emirates this month, according to US Department of Justice
documents, and was ordered by a US court to appear for the deposition in
Abu Dhabi or another location agreed by the two sides.
Citing the
Davis' experiences, the suit alleges that Prince and companies he
controlled defrauded the US State Department and the US Department of
Homeland Security via "false records, statements, claims, and
omissions," according to court documents.
Prince's lead attorney,
Richard Beizer, did not respond to phone calls and emails seeking
comment. Burke said he was present at the deposition.
Blackwater,
which changed its name to Xe last year, gained notoriety in Iraq after
guards protecting a convoy opened fire in a busy Baghdad square in
September 2007, killing as many as 17 civilians.
The defendants in
the suit are Prince, Blackwater Security Consulting LLC, Xe Services
LLC, US Training Center Inc., Greystone Limited, and The Prince Group
LLC, according to the second amended complaint filed in the case.
