Justin_stacy
10/25/05, 08:13 PM
George Galloway and the Oil-for-Food Scandal: Time for U.S. and British Inquiries
by Nile Gardiner, Ph.D.
WebMemo #892
October 25, 2005 | |
The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) today unveiled new evidence on British Member of Parliament George Galloway’s involvement in the Iraqi Oil-for-Food scandal.[1] This latest report is a direct response to Mr. Galloway’s testimony before the subcommittee on May 17, 2005. Galloway then firmly denied soliciting or receiving allocations of Iraqi crude oil from Saddam Hussein’s regime, but the new evidence indicates otherwise.[2] The Senate report lays the groundwork for criminal investigation, and perhaps prosecution, in both the U.S. and the UK.
PSI’s new evidence raises major questions about Galloway’s close relationship with the Baathist regime and his alleged attempts to raise funds in Iraq to further his political causes in Britain. The report emphatically refutes Galloway’s Senate testimony and concludes that Galloway lied under oath—a serious offence that could result in criminal prosecution under the Federal False Statements Statute.
The serious nature of the allegations merits a reopening of the investigation into Galloway’s activities by the UK Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, as well as an independent British judicial inquiry into the involvement of UK politicians and businessmen in the Oil-for-Food scandal. In addition, the U.S. Department of Justice should conduct its own investigation into Galloway’s ties to officials in Saddam Hussein’s regime as part of its broader Oil for Food inquiry.
The Evidence
The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation’s Oil for Food investigation was launched in April 2004 and has interviewed scores of witnesses and reviewed several hundred thousand documents. The PSI is a bipartisan committee chaired by Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), and its ranking minority-party member is Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI). It has held three hearings so far and issued four reports on the Oil-for-Food scandal.
The evidence for the PSI’s latest report was drawn from several sources:
Banking records, including bank account information and wire transfer data, from several financial institutions “establishing that Fawaz Zureikat, a Jordanian businessman and close friend of Galloway, received money in connection with an oil allocation under the Oil for Food Program and transferred a significant portion of that money to Galloway’s wife and Galloway’s political campaign, the Mariam appeal;”
Documents created by senior Iraqi officials and the Iraqi Ministry of Oil under Saddam Hussein;
Documents created by the Iraqi Ministry of Oil after the fall of Saddam Hussein;
Subcommittee interviews with senior officials of the Hussein regime, including Tariq Aziz, former Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, Taha Yasin Ramadan, former Vice President of Iraq, and Amer Rashid, the former Minister of Oil;
U.S. Treasury Iraqi Financial Asset Team interviews with Hussein regime officials; and
Interviews with experienced oil traders involved in the purchase of Iraqi crude oil under the Oil-for-Food Program.
The Key Findings
“Galloway personally solicited and was granted oil allocations from the Government of Iraq during the reign of Saddam Hussein. The Hussein regime granted Galloway and the Mariam Appeal eight allocations totaling 23 million barrels from 1999 through 2003.”
“Galloway’s wife, Dr. Amineh Abu-Zayyad, received approximately $150,000 in connection with one of those oil allocations.”
“Galloway’s political campaign, the Mariam Appeal, received at least $446,000 in connection with the oil allocations granted to Galloway and the Mariam Appeal under the Oil-for-Food Program.”
“The Hussein regime received improper ‘surcharge’ payments amounting to $1,642,000.65 in connection with the oil allocations granted to Galloway and the Mariam appeal.”
“Galloway knowingly made false or misleading statements under oath before the Subcommittee at its hearing on May 17, 2005.”
http://www.heritage.org/Research/InternationalOrganizations/wm892.cfm
British MP Galloway accused of lying to US Congress Tue Oct 25, 4:21 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US Senate subcommittee investigating the UN oil-for-food program scandal accused British parliamentarian George Galloway of lying in testimony to the committee that he never benefited from allocations of Iraqi crude oil under the program.
In a report on evidence it says it obtained since Galloway testified in May, the subcommittee said Galloway personally solicited and received eight oil vouchers from the Saddam Hussein regime between 1999 and 2003.
It also said that Galloway's wife, and a political campaign run by Galloway, both received money generated by the oil allocations; and that Saddam's regime took 1.6 million dollars in kickbacks in connection with the Galloway vouchers.
In denying such benefits in his May testimony, the report said, "Galloway knowingly made false or misleading statements under oath before the subcommittee."
In Britain, Galloway strongly rejected the charges through his spokesman Roy McKay, and called the Senate report a "conviction without trial."
"He denies the charges absolutely," said McKay.
Led by Senator Norm Coleman, the investigative arm of the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs has been studying reports of corruption surrounding the 1996-2003 UN Iraq oil-for-food program.
Coleman's group has focused its attention on individuals it believes took illegal benefits from the program, which was aimed at allowing sanction-hit Iraq to sell a limited amount of oil to buy food and medicine for its population.
Besides Galloway, Coleman's committee has fingered senior officials at the United Nations, and top Russian and French politicians, of taking money or oil allocations from the program.
Two former high-ranking French diplomats -- including the representative to the United Nations between 1991 and 1995 -- have been placed under criminal investigation by a French judge looking into the matter.
In its newest report, the Coleman committee added new evidence for its earlier accusations that Galloway, an outspoken opponent of US policy in Iraq, worked with Jordanian businessman Fawaz Zureikat to obtain money from an oil-for-food program oil allocation.
Citing bank documents, records from the former Saddam regime, testimony from Saddam's former deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz, and information from two unidentified oil traders, the report said that Galloway's Mariam Appeal political campaign reaped at least 446,000 dollars from oil allocations.
It said his now-estranged wife Amineh Abu-Zayyad got about 150,000 dollars.
According to Aziz, Galloway visited Baghdad in November 1999 on a tour raising money for the Mariam Appeal.
Aziz said that Galloway was awarded oil allocations for resale, eventually totaling about 23 million barrels, to help the appeal, with a profit margin of 10 to 15 cents per barrel, according to the report.
It also said that the main conduit for trading the oil allocations was Zureikat, a personal friend of Galloway, who eventually paid Saddam's officials 1.6 million dollars under the table for the vouchers.
Noting that they had not yet seen the Senate report, Galloway's spokesman reiterated his denial of the original charges and the newest one of having given deliberately false or misleading testimony to the subcommittee.
Galloway "has challenged Coleman and the committee to charge him with perjury. He will get on the plane to the US as soon as they do that," McKay said.
He also questioned the subcommittee's sources.
"Isn't it ironic that on the one hand we are told that the likes of Tariq Aziz and Saddam Hussein are homicidal maniacs, and on the other they are the most trustworthy people in the world when it comes to providing testimony against George Galloway?" McKay asked.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051025/pl_afp/usbritainpoliticsiraqoilungalloway_ 051025074933
I guess we can give him a little credit, at least he didn't support saddum because he thought he was a good leader....
by Nile Gardiner, Ph.D.
WebMemo #892
October 25, 2005 | |
The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) today unveiled new evidence on British Member of Parliament George Galloway’s involvement in the Iraqi Oil-for-Food scandal.[1] This latest report is a direct response to Mr. Galloway’s testimony before the subcommittee on May 17, 2005. Galloway then firmly denied soliciting or receiving allocations of Iraqi crude oil from Saddam Hussein’s regime, but the new evidence indicates otherwise.[2] The Senate report lays the groundwork for criminal investigation, and perhaps prosecution, in both the U.S. and the UK.
PSI’s new evidence raises major questions about Galloway’s close relationship with the Baathist regime and his alleged attempts to raise funds in Iraq to further his political causes in Britain. The report emphatically refutes Galloway’s Senate testimony and concludes that Galloway lied under oath—a serious offence that could result in criminal prosecution under the Federal False Statements Statute.
The serious nature of the allegations merits a reopening of the investigation into Galloway’s activities by the UK Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, as well as an independent British judicial inquiry into the involvement of UK politicians and businessmen in the Oil-for-Food scandal. In addition, the U.S. Department of Justice should conduct its own investigation into Galloway’s ties to officials in Saddam Hussein’s regime as part of its broader Oil for Food inquiry.
The Evidence
The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigation’s Oil for Food investigation was launched in April 2004 and has interviewed scores of witnesses and reviewed several hundred thousand documents. The PSI is a bipartisan committee chaired by Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), and its ranking minority-party member is Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI). It has held three hearings so far and issued four reports on the Oil-for-Food scandal.
The evidence for the PSI’s latest report was drawn from several sources:
Banking records, including bank account information and wire transfer data, from several financial institutions “establishing that Fawaz Zureikat, a Jordanian businessman and close friend of Galloway, received money in connection with an oil allocation under the Oil for Food Program and transferred a significant portion of that money to Galloway’s wife and Galloway’s political campaign, the Mariam appeal;”
Documents created by senior Iraqi officials and the Iraqi Ministry of Oil under Saddam Hussein;
Documents created by the Iraqi Ministry of Oil after the fall of Saddam Hussein;
Subcommittee interviews with senior officials of the Hussein regime, including Tariq Aziz, former Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, Taha Yasin Ramadan, former Vice President of Iraq, and Amer Rashid, the former Minister of Oil;
U.S. Treasury Iraqi Financial Asset Team interviews with Hussein regime officials; and
Interviews with experienced oil traders involved in the purchase of Iraqi crude oil under the Oil-for-Food Program.
The Key Findings
“Galloway personally solicited and was granted oil allocations from the Government of Iraq during the reign of Saddam Hussein. The Hussein regime granted Galloway and the Mariam Appeal eight allocations totaling 23 million barrels from 1999 through 2003.”
“Galloway’s wife, Dr. Amineh Abu-Zayyad, received approximately $150,000 in connection with one of those oil allocations.”
“Galloway’s political campaign, the Mariam Appeal, received at least $446,000 in connection with the oil allocations granted to Galloway and the Mariam Appeal under the Oil-for-Food Program.”
“The Hussein regime received improper ‘surcharge’ payments amounting to $1,642,000.65 in connection with the oil allocations granted to Galloway and the Mariam appeal.”
“Galloway knowingly made false or misleading statements under oath before the Subcommittee at its hearing on May 17, 2005.”
http://www.heritage.org/Research/InternationalOrganizations/wm892.cfm
British MP Galloway accused of lying to US Congress Tue Oct 25, 4:21 AM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US Senate subcommittee investigating the UN oil-for-food program scandal accused British parliamentarian George Galloway of lying in testimony to the committee that he never benefited from allocations of Iraqi crude oil under the program.
In a report on evidence it says it obtained since Galloway testified in May, the subcommittee said Galloway personally solicited and received eight oil vouchers from the Saddam Hussein regime between 1999 and 2003.
It also said that Galloway's wife, and a political campaign run by Galloway, both received money generated by the oil allocations; and that Saddam's regime took 1.6 million dollars in kickbacks in connection with the Galloway vouchers.
In denying such benefits in his May testimony, the report said, "Galloway knowingly made false or misleading statements under oath before the subcommittee."
In Britain, Galloway strongly rejected the charges through his spokesman Roy McKay, and called the Senate report a "conviction without trial."
"He denies the charges absolutely," said McKay.
Led by Senator Norm Coleman, the investigative arm of the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs has been studying reports of corruption surrounding the 1996-2003 UN Iraq oil-for-food program.
Coleman's group has focused its attention on individuals it believes took illegal benefits from the program, which was aimed at allowing sanction-hit Iraq to sell a limited amount of oil to buy food and medicine for its population.
Besides Galloway, Coleman's committee has fingered senior officials at the United Nations, and top Russian and French politicians, of taking money or oil allocations from the program.
Two former high-ranking French diplomats -- including the representative to the United Nations between 1991 and 1995 -- have been placed under criminal investigation by a French judge looking into the matter.
In its newest report, the Coleman committee added new evidence for its earlier accusations that Galloway, an outspoken opponent of US policy in Iraq, worked with Jordanian businessman Fawaz Zureikat to obtain money from an oil-for-food program oil allocation.
Citing bank documents, records from the former Saddam regime, testimony from Saddam's former deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz, and information from two unidentified oil traders, the report said that Galloway's Mariam Appeal political campaign reaped at least 446,000 dollars from oil allocations.
It said his now-estranged wife Amineh Abu-Zayyad got about 150,000 dollars.
According to Aziz, Galloway visited Baghdad in November 1999 on a tour raising money for the Mariam Appeal.
Aziz said that Galloway was awarded oil allocations for resale, eventually totaling about 23 million barrels, to help the appeal, with a profit margin of 10 to 15 cents per barrel, according to the report.
It also said that the main conduit for trading the oil allocations was Zureikat, a personal friend of Galloway, who eventually paid Saddam's officials 1.6 million dollars under the table for the vouchers.
Noting that they had not yet seen the Senate report, Galloway's spokesman reiterated his denial of the original charges and the newest one of having given deliberately false or misleading testimony to the subcommittee.
Galloway "has challenged Coleman and the committee to charge him with perjury. He will get on the plane to the US as soon as they do that," McKay said.
He also questioned the subcommittee's sources.
"Isn't it ironic that on the one hand we are told that the likes of Tariq Aziz and Saddam Hussein are homicidal maniacs, and on the other they are the most trustworthy people in the world when it comes to providing testimony against George Galloway?" McKay asked.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051025/pl_afp/usbritainpoliticsiraqoilungalloway_ 051025074933
I guess we can give him a little credit, at least he didn't support saddum because he thought he was a good leader....