Carlos Cardoen
{{short description|Chilean metallurgical engineer and weapons scientist}}
{{family name hatnote|Cardoen|Cornejo|lang=Spanish}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Carlos Cardoen.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| name = Carlos Cardoen
| caption = Cardoen dressed as a huaso, in 2010
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1942|05|1}}
| birth_place = Santa Cruz, Chile
| occupation = Arms dealer, businessman, metallurgical engineer, and weapon scientist
| alma_mater = University of Utah, U.S.
| known_for = Arms broker and supplier of explosive weapons to Iraq
}}
Image:Carlos Cardoen's vineyard.jpg
Carlos Remigio Cardoen Cornejo (born 1 May 1942, Santa Cruz, Chile) is a Chilean arms dealer, metallurgical engineer, weapons scientist and agricultural businessman.
Cardoen rose to prominence in the 1980's amidst the United States arms embargo against Chile,{{Cite news|title=El embargo de armas crea serios problemas de abastecimiento a la Fuerza Aérea chilena|url=https://elpais.com/diario/1987/07/18/internacional/553557617_850215.html|last=Luengo|first=Alberto|date=July 18, 1987|work=El País|access-date=April 12, 2019}} when he became "Pinochet's favourite arms manufacturer".
When Saddam Hussein fell out of favor with the United States in connection with the 1990 invasion of Kuwait Cardoen, who had weapon dealings with Iraq, was accused by the US of zirconium trafficking. Since then he has been on the Interpol wanted list.{{Cite news|title=La historia de los US$50 millones que le quedó debiendo Saddam Hussein a Cardoen por las bombas de racimo|url=https://ciperchile.cl/2019/02/01/la-historia-de-los-us50-millones-que-le-quedo-debiendo-saddam-hussein-a-cardoen-por-las-bombas-de-racimo/|last=Sepúlveda|first=Nicolás|date=February 1, 2019|work=CIPER|access-date=July 3, 2019|last2=Ramírez|first2=Pedro}} On various occasions Cardoen has received support from National Congress and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to end the Interpol arrest warrant.
Weapons industry
image:Cardoen Saddam.jpg Saddam Hussein]]
As a weapons expert, he ran Industrias Cardoen in the late 1980s{{citation needed|date=May 2018}}. He allegedly illegally sold zirconium-supplemented armaments to Iraq under Saddam Hussein, exported from the United States, for which he has an international arrest warrant.Justin Hibbard, [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/03/02/CM89478.DTL "The Chilean Connection"], San Francisco Chronicle, 2 March 2003. Yet, Cardoen claims the United States, which in the 1980s supported Hussein's Iraq in its war against Iran, was aware and implicitly consented to this trade until Saddam Hussein fell out of favour.
During the height of the Beagle crisis in 1978 Cardoen was contacted by Chilean Air Force commander and member of the Chilean junta, Fernando Matthei and designed on his request a light bomb, that could be dropped from any airforce plane, in only 15 days. When asking Matthei what did he want the bomb for, he reportedly answered: "para joder" ("to mess around").La escuadra en acción. 2004, pg. 187.
In the mid-1980 Cardoen bought the Italian swimmer delivery vehicle and minisub manufacturer Cos.Mo.S. His attempts to sell the firm under the table to Iraq ended in scandal and the closure of the company. A warrant was issued for his arrest, but he was never brought to justice.{{cite web |last1=Sutton |first1=H I |title=The famous CosMoS CE2F chariot |url=http://www.hisutton.com/The%20famous%20CosMoS%20CE2F%20chariot.html |website=www.hisutton.com |publisher=Covert Shores |accessdate=27 February 2020}}
Cardoen claims Iraq owes him US$50 million from weapon purchases.
Agriculture and tourism
From the 1990s onwards Cardoen has invested capital into the wine, energy, match, fruit juice and tourism businesses in Chile, especially in O'Higgins, his home region. Due to his involvement in cultural and tourism projects he has been awarded the "Premio a lo Chileno" in 2006 and "Orden al Mérito Docente y Cultural Gabriela Mistral" in 2005.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} He has been suffering from colon cancer for many years.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category-inline}}
- [http://www.museocolchagua.cl/ Museo de Colchagua official website]
- {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091027093201/http://geocities.com/john_muller_es/Cronicas/Irancorfo/irancorfo2.html|date=27 October 2009|title=El caso Irán-Corfo}}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.ibb.gov/fugitives/cardoen.html|title=Orden de captura internacional|accessdate=23 April 2009|url-status=bot: unknown|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050214045327/http://www.ibb.gov/fugitives/cardoen.html|archivedate=14 February 2005}}
- [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/03/02/CM89478.DTL The Chilean Connection]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20090413090029/https://www.bis.doc.gov//enforcement/casesummaries/carloscardoen.html Sumario del Caso Cardoen]
- [http://www.photius.com/countries/chile/national_security/chile_national_security_cardoen_industries.html Cardoen Industries]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20100620045347/http://piemonte.indymedia.org/article/6564 "Scoop: Ecco come il Sismi doveva rapire Carlos Remigio Cardoen" ("Scoop: Here's how The Sismi was to kidnap Carlos Remigio Cardoen")] {{in lang|it}}
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Category:20th-century Chilean businesspeople
Category:20th-century Chilean engineers
Category:Instituto Regional Federico Errázuriz alumni
Category:Chilean people of Belgian descent
Category:People from Santa Cruz, Chile