"His constituent had a just grievance with Pakistan," said Wilson at the time. "The truth is that Sen. Stevens' constituent was right. . . . Pakistan corrected it." Wilson could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Stevens let the amendment allowing for the sanctions to be dropped go through on Oct. 7, 1999, after getting assurances from Pakistan that it would let the World Bank arbitrate the dispute.
It was not the only time Stevens took official action to help VECO.
In the fall of 1999, he earmarked $2.5 million in Labor Department funds to train Russian oil field workers in Alaska.
Allen and VECO and others pushed for the grant because they were having a difficult time finding skilled workers for their oil and gas projects on Sakhalin Island in Russia's Far East.
In addition to doing extensive remodeling on Stevens' home, VECO has paid his son, Ben, at least $364,000 in lobbying and consulting fees since 1996.
Ben Stevens, who was an Alaska state senator until last year, has also been ensnared in the VECO scandal but has not been charged.
Ted Stevens issued a statement saying, "I am innocent of these charges and intend to prove that."
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chuck.neubauer@latimes.com
