Of course Mr. Kerik's misstatement concerning this green and white KFSH coaster bus is hardly his only error - in statements, or in judgment. But Westerners exaggerating the bad side, and the dangers of Saudi Arabia is so often Standard Operating Procedure.
Why was Mr. Kerik deported under a Royal Order? The Saudi government never officially said, but it was the conclusion to a year-long, extensive investigation of the hospital by a Royal Commission. And in the opinion of many Westerners who were there at the time, including this author, Kerik and the other five deported were precisely the worst ones in the Security department. The department was infamous for spying on the private lives of hospital employees, and had a total lack of respect for what most Americans consider to be basic human rights. They also did not feel that Saudi law applied to them either. Yes, above any law - an attitude all too pervasive with the current administration in Washington.
Mr. Kerik had one quality that made him very valuable to the Saudi Hospital Director at the time - blind loyalty... the kind of loyalty displayed by Chuck Colson, who once infamously said: "I'd walk over my own grandmother to get Richard Nixon re-elected." That trait, blind loyalty, is also quite appealing to Rudy Giuliani. (Please see the article below by Gail Collins in The New York Times)
On November 09, 2007, Mr. Kerik was indicted for crimes, including income tax evasion, with maximum penalties, if convicted, of 162 years in prison. He has already pleaded guilty to a "misdemeanor" of accepting more than $100,000 in renovations to his apartment. On November 05, 2009, Mr. Kerik pleaded guilty to eight felonies in Federal District Court in White Plains, New York. On Feb. 18, 2010 he was sentenced to four years in prison.
Articles of Interest:
Washington Post, "Kerik's Surveillance Activity in Saudi Arabia Is Disputed," December 08, 2004
(Note: John Mintz is a good reporter - he only slightly misquoted me - I said that Kerik tried to make your life miserable - true enough. In reality, he was not successful. )
New York Times, Editoral, "Indicting Mr. Kerik,"November 10, 2007
New York Times, "Rudy and Bernie: B.F.F.'s,", by Gail Collins, November 10, 2007
For Kerik's "Mug Shot" after his arrest in 2006: