Documents filed in a legal spat between two Italian firms confirm that one of the firms supplied the Iraqis with fake military hardware in 1983, a newspaper reported Saturday.
Iraq has reportedly used fake fighter-bombers, missile launchers and other such goods to foil allied air strikes during the Persian Gulf war.The company in question, MVM, earlier this week said it had sold realistic plastic models of fighter-bombers, tanks and missile ramps to several Middle and Far Eastern countries in the 1980s.
Manufacturer Mario Moselli wouldn't confirm or deny that MVM sold such goods to Iraq but acknowledged some may have ended up in Iraqi hands.
The lawsuit arose after the Baghdad company receiving the "four loads" of fakes refused to accept the goods. The Iraqi firm, IAF, complained of poor packing, and asked for special containers.
MVM sued the shipper it had used in the transaction for the extra costs, and the shipper countersued. Ultimately, a court ruled that MVM should pay, and an appeals court in 1988 upheld the ruling.