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The Oil-for-Food Program, established by the United Nations in 1995 (under UN Security Council Resolution 986) and terminated in late 2003, was intended to allow Iraq to sell oil on the world market in exchange for food, medicine, and other humanitarian needs for ordinary Iraqi citizens without allowing Iraq to rebuild its military. United Nations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...
1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
UN Security Council Resolution 986 was issued on 14 April 1995, creating the Iraqi Oil-for-Food Programme. ...
2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario Petroleum (from Greek petra – rock and elaion – oil or Latin oleum – oil ) or crude oil, sometimes colloquially called black gold, is a thick, dark brown or greenish liquid. ...
Medicine is the branch of health science and the sector of public life concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis and treatment of disease and injury. ...
The program was introduced by the US Clinton Administration in 1995, as a response to arguments that ordinary Iraqi citizens were inordinately affected by the international economic sanctions aimed at the demilitarization of Saddam Hussein's Iraq, imposed in the wake of the first Gulf War. The sanctions were discontinued in 2003 after the United States invasion of Iraq, and the humanitarian functions turned over to the Coalition Provisional Authority. Order: 42nd President Term of Office: January 20, 1993–January 20, 2001 Preceded by: George H. W. Bush Succeeded by: George W. Bush Date of birth: August 19, 1946 Place of birth: Hope, Arkansas Date of death: Place of death: First Lady: Hillary Rodham Clinton Political party: Democratic Vice President...
Economic sanctions are economic penalties applied by one country (or group of countries) on another for a variety of reasons. ...
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, (Arabic ), born April 28, 1937 , was the President of Iraq from 1979 until the United States-led invasion of Iraq reached Baghdad on April 9, 2003. ...
Combatants U.S.-led coalition Iraq Commanders George H. W. Bush Norman Schwarzkopf Colin Powell Saddam Hussein Ali Hassan al-Majid Hussein Kamel Strength 660,000 545,000 Casualties 345 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 - 100,000 dead, 100,000 - 300,000 wounded The 1991 Gulf War (also called...
2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
For other uses of the term, see Iraq war (disambiguation) The 2003 invasion of Iraq (also called the 2nd or 3rd Persian Gulf War) began on March 20, 2003, when forces belonging primarily to the United States and the United Kingdom invaded Iraq arguably without the explicit backing of the...
The Seal of the CPA in Iraq The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) was established as a transitional government following the invasion of Iraq by the United States, United Kingdom and the other members of the multinational coalition which was formed to oust the government of Saddam Hussein in 2003. ...
Under UN auspices, over USD$65 billion worth of Iraqi oil was sold on the world market. Officially, about US$46 billion was used for humanitarian needs, with additional revenue paying Gulf War reparations through a Compensation Fund, supporting UN administrative and operational costs for the program (2.2 percent), and paying costs for the weapons inspection program (0.8 percent). The United States dollar is the official currency of the United States. ...
Humanitarianism is an informal ideology of practice, whereby people practice humane treatment and provide assistance to others. ...
Combatants U.S.-led coalition Iraq Commanders George H. W. Bush Norman Schwarzkopf Colin Powell Saddam Hussein Ali Hassan al-Majid Hussein Kamel Strength 660,000 545,000 Casualties 345 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 - 100,000 dead, 100,000 - 300,000 wounded The 1991 Gulf War (also called...
Reparations refers to two distinct ideas: Reparations for slavery of groups or individuals War reparations: Payments from one country to another as compensation for starting a war under a peace treaty, such as those made by Germany to France under the Treaty of Versailles. ...
United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) was a United Nations organisation performing arms inspections in Iraq after the Gulf War. ...
Background and design The program was instituted to relieve the extended suffering of civilians as the result of the comprehensive sanctions on Iraq from the UN, following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. After an initial refusal, Iraq signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in May 1996 for arrangements for the implementation of that resolution to be taken. RESOLUTION 661 (1990) Adopted by the Security Council at its 2933rd meeting on 6 August 1990 The Security Council, Reaffirming its resolution 660 (1990) of 2 August 1990, Deeply concerned that that resolution has not been implemented and that the invasion by Iraq of Kuwait continues with further loss of...
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) is a legal document describing an agreement between parties. ...
The Oil-for-Food Program started in October 1997, and the first shipments of food arrived in March 1998. Some 60 percent of Iraq's 26 million people were solely dependent on rations from the oil-for-food plan.
The program used an escrow system: oil exported from Iraq was paid for by the recipient into an escrow account possessed until 2001 by BNP Paribas bank, rather than to the Iraqi government (Anglo-Iraqi billionaire Nadhmi Auchi is BNP Paribas major single shareholder through his firm General Mediterranean Holdings). The money was then apportioned to pay for war reparations to Kuwait and ongoing coalition and United Nations operations within Iraq, with the remainder (and majority of the revenue) available to the Iraqi government for use in purchasing regulated items. Escrow is a legal arrangement whereby an asset (often money, but sometimes other property such as art, a deed of title, website, or software source code) is delivered to a third party (called an escrow agent) to be held in trust pending a contingency or the fulfillment of a condition...
BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP, TYO: 8665 ) is one of the main banks in Europe and France. ...
Nadhmi Auchi, born in 1937, is a British-resident, Iraqi-born billionaire. ...
The General Mediterranean Holdings (GenMed) is a financial holding established in 1979 in Luxembourg, through which Anglo-Iraqi billionaire Nadhmi Auchi control his financial empire. ...
The Iraqi government was then permitted to purchase items that were not embargoed under the economic sanctions. Certain items, such as raw foodstuffs, were expedited for immediate shipment, but requests for most items, including such simple things as pencils and folic acid, were reviewed in a process that typically took about six months before shipment was authorized. Items deemed to have any potential application in chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons systems development were not available to the regime, regardless of what their stated purpose was. This article is about the economic term. ...
It has been suggested that pencil lead be merged into this article or section. ...
Folic acid and folate (the anion form) are forms of a water-soluble B vitamin. ...
Financial statistics Over US$65 billion worth of Iraqi oil were sold on the world market. About US$46 billion of these funds were used to provide for the humanitarian needs of Iraqi people such as food and medicine in the context of international economic sanctions. A considerable amount was spent for Gulf War reparations through a Compensation Fund (25 percent since December 2000); UN administrative and operational costs for the program (2.2 percent) and costs for the weapons inspection program Humanitarianism is an informal ideology of practice, whereby people practice humane treatment and provide assistance to others. ...
Medicine is the branch of health science and the sector of public life concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis and treatment of disease and injury. ...
Economic sanctions are economic penalties applied by one country (or group of countries) on another for a variety of reasons. ...
Combatants U.S.-led coalition Iraq Commanders George H. W. Bush Norman Schwarzkopf Colin Powell Saddam Hussein Ali Hassan al-Majid Hussein Kamel Strength 660,000 545,000 Casualties 345 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 - 100,000 dead, 100,000 - 300,000 wounded The 1991 Gulf War (also called...
Reparations refers to two distinct ideas: Reparations for slavery of groups or individuals War reparations: Payments from one country to another as compensation for starting a war under a peace treaty, such as those made by Germany to France under the Treaty of Versailles. ...
United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) was a United Nations organisation performing arms inspections in Iraq after the Gulf War. ...
Initial support and criticism The program was conceived as a way of mitigating the impact on ordinary Iraqis of the sanctions against Iraq. The most fundamental criticism of the programme was that this was a stop-gap solution that was bound to strengthen Saddam Hussein's position, potentially preserving the survival of his dictatorship.
Alternatively, if the sanctions were too harmful for Iraqis to sustain, critics argued, the sanctions should be removed (excepting clearly military items). Critics claimed that the Oil-for-Food Program was responsible, under the blockage of dual-use equipment, for preventing Iraq from repairing the water purification and medical systems destroyed by the initial sanctions and in the 1991 Gulf War, and others challenged the program on the grounds that it would not permit Iraq to import the food and medicine necessary to prevent millions of easily preventable deaths. Former program heads such as Hans von Sponeck questioned whether the sanctions should exist at all. Von Sponeck, speaking in Berkeley in late 2001, decried the proposed "Smart Sanctions", stating "What is proposed at this point in fact amounts to a tightening of the rope around the neck of the average Iraqi citizen"; claimed that the sanctions were causing the death of 150 Iraqi children per day; and accused the US and Britain of arrogance toward Iraq, such as refusing to let it pay its UN and OPEC dues and blocking Iraqi attempts at negotiation. Dual-use is a term often used in politics and diplomacy to refer to technology which can be used for both peaceful and military aims, usually in regard to the proliferation of nuclear weapons. ...
Combatants U.S.-led coalition Iraq Commanders George H. W. Bush Norman Schwarzkopf Colin Powell Saddam Hussein Ali Hassan al-Majid Hussein Kamel Strength 660,000 545,000 Casualties 345 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 - 100,000 dead, 100,000 - 300,000 wounded The 1991 Gulf War (also called...
Supporters viewed the program as a way to keep Saddam Hussein in check without resorting to war.
The Clinton Administration opposed further liberalization of the proposal which was pursued by both Iraq and France.
End of the program Shortly before US and British forces invaded Iraq, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan suspended the program and evacuated more than 300 workers monitoring the distribution of supplies. Motto: (1789 to 1956) (Latin for Out of many, one) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at federal level; English (de facto) Government Federal Republic - President George W. Bush (R) - Vice...
Combatants Coalition Forces (United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Poland) Iraq Commanders Tommy Franks Saddam Hussein Strength 263,000 375,000 The 2003 invasion of Iraq, termed Operation Iraqi Freedom by the US administration, began on March 20. ...
The United Nations Secretary-General is the head of the Secretariat, one of the principal divisions of the United Nations. ...
Kofi Atta Annan (born April 8, 1938) is a Ghanaian diplomat and the seventh and current Secretary-General of the United Nations. ...
On 28 March 2003, Secretary-General Annan, the United States, and Britain asked the Security Council to ensure that nearly US$10 billion in goods Iraq ordered and already approved, including US$2.4 billion for food, can enter the country when conditions allow. The resolution under discussion made clear that the chief responsibility for addressing humanitarian consequences of the war would fall to the United States and Britain if they took control of the country. This refers to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention on the responsibilities of the occupying power. March 28 is the 87th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (88th in leap years). ...
2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
A session of the Security Council in progress The United Nations Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. ...
1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ...
Wikisource has original text related to this article: Fourth Geneva Convention The Fourth Geneva Convention (GCIV) relates to the protection of civilians during times of war in the hands of an enemy and under any occupation by a foreign power. ...
UN Security Council Resolution 1483 granted authority to the Coalition Provisional Authority to use Iraq's oil revenue, on May 22, 2003. The Programme's remaining funds of $10 billion were transferred over a 6 month winding-up period to the Development Fund for Iraq under the Coalition Provisional Authority's control, representing 14% of the Programme's total income over 5 years. The Security Council, Recalling all its previous relevant resolutions, Reaffirming the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq, Reaffirming also the importance of the disarmament of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction and of eventual confirmation of the disarmament of Iraq, Stressing the right of the Iraqi people freely to determine their...
The Seal of the CPA in Iraq The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) was established as a transitional government following the invasion of Iraq by the United States, United Kingdom and the other members of the multinational coalition which was formed to oust the government of Saddam Hussein in 2003. ...
On May of 2003, following the Invasion of Iraq the Development Fund for Iraq was set up. ...
The program was formally terminated on 21 November 2003 and its major functions were turned over to the Coalition Provisional Authority. [1] November 21 is the 325th day of the year (326th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Allegations of abuse In addition to criticism of the basic approach, the program suffered from continuing criticisms of widespread corruption and abuse. Throughout its existence, the program was dogged by accusations from US conservative circles that some of its profits were unlawfully diverted to the government of Iraq.
Benon Sevan of Cyprus, who headed the program, strongly defended it, citing that it had only a 2.2% administrative cost, that it was subject to more than 100 audits (internal and external), and blamed restrictions from the Security Council for making the situation difficult. He also pointed out that 90% of Iraq's population relied on the program for its monthly food basket. While Benon Sevan was in charge of the program, he rejected efforts to review and investigate the program. [2] He ordered his staff that complaints about illegal payoffs should be formally filed with the whistleblower's country, making them public and allowing Iraq to bar any whistleblowers. In 2000, Dileep Nair, the UN corruption watchdog, wanted to determine the program's vulnerability. Sevan, along with UN deputy secretary general Louise Frechette rejected any such investigation, claiming that it would be too expensive to be worthwhile. Benon V. Sevan (born December 18, 1937 Nicosia, Cyprus) was the head of the United Nations Oil for Food program established in 1996, charged with preventing Iraqs government from using the proceeds from oil exports for anything but food, medicine and other items to benefit the civilian population. ...
A whistleblower is an employee, former employee, or member of an organization who reports misconduct to people or entities that have the power to take corrective action. ...
Dileep Nair is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services and head of the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services. ...
Louise Fréchette (born July 16, 1946 in Montreal) is the Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations and a long-time Canadian diplomat and public servant. ...
In response to these criticisms, and to evidence acquired after the United States invasion of Iraq, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed a UN investigatory panel, headed by American Paul Volcker, to review the programme. For other uses of the term, see Iraq war (disambiguation) The 2003 invasion of Iraq (also called the 2nd or 3rd Persian Gulf War) began on March 20, 2003, when forces belonging primarily to the United States and the United Kingdom invaded Iraq arguably without the explicit backing of the...
Economist Paul Adolph Volcker (September 5, 1927 - ) born in Cape May, New Jersey, is best-known as the Chairman of the Federal Reserve under United States Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan (from August 1979 to August 1987). ...
Starting in April of 2004 [3], accusations were made that skimmed profits were being used to buy influence at the UN or even with Kofi Annan himself. Kofi Atta Annan (born April 8, 1938) is a Ghanaian diplomat and the seventh and current Secretary-General of the United Nations. ...
According to an interim report released on February 3, 2005, from former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker's commission (see investigation below) much of the food aid supplied under the program "was unfit for human consumption". The report concluded that Sevan accepted nearly $150,000 in bribes over the course of the programme, and in 2005 he was suspended from his position at the United Nations as a result of the investigation of fraud in the programme. [4] February 3 is the 34th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Economist Paul Adolph Volcker (September 5, 1927 - ) born in Cape May, New Jersey, is best-known as the Chairman of the Federal Reserve under United States Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan (from August 1979 to August 1987). ...
2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Peter van Walsum, the now retired Netherlands ambassador to the United Nations and chairman of the Iraq sanctions committee 1999-2000, speculated in a recent book that Iraq deliberately divided the security council by awarding contracts to France, Russia, and China but not to the United Kingdom and the United States. He also stated he encountered a number of cases in which he felt the lack of Iraqi cooperation was designed to exacerbate the suffering of its own people. He also claimed that it was his opinion that the sanctions were not an effective deterrent. 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...
This article is about the year 2000. ...
Until 2001, the money for the Oil-for-Food program transited thru the BNP Paribas bank, whose main private share-holder is Iraqi-born Nadhmi Auchi, a man estimated to be worth about $1 billion according to Forbes, and ranks 13th in Britain according to The Guardian. Auchi received a 15-month suspended sentence for his involvement in the Elf scandal, which has been qualified by the British newspaper as "the biggest fraud inquiry in Europe since the Second World War. Elf became a private bank for its executives who spent £200 million on political favours, mistresses, jewellery, fine art, villas and apartments" an oil company which became Total S.A. in 2003 [1]. 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...
BNP Paribas (Euronext: BNP, TYO: 8665 ) is one of the main banks in Europe and France. ...
Nadhmi Auchi, born in 1937, is a British-resident, Iraqi-born billionaire. ...
The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ...
Elf logo Elf Aquitaine is a former French oil company merged with TotalFina to form TotalFinaElf. ...
Total SA (Euronext: FP, NYSE: TOT) is a French oil company headquartered in Paris, France, and one of the top four oil companies in the world (along with Royal Dutch Shell, BP, and ExxonMobil). ...
2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Al Mada list One of the earliest allegations of wrongdoing in the program surfaced on 25 January 2004, when al Mada, a daily newspaper in Iraq, published a list of individuals and organizations alleged to have received oil sales contracts via the UN's Oil-for-Food Program. The list came from over 15,000 documents which were reportedly found in the state-owned Iraqi oil corporation which had close links to the Iraqi Oil Ministry. The oil ministry was headed by allies of Ahmed Chalabi, controversial member of the Iraqi governing council who had been widely criticized for supplying the US with bogus information during the lead up to the war. Chalabi's alleged involvement and the initial lack of corroborating evidence placed doubt on the accuracy of the al Mada list. January 25 is the 25th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Ahmed Chalabi Ahmed Abdel Hadi Chalabi, Ph. ...
Named in the list of beneficiaries were the British MP, George Galloway and his charity, the Mariam Fund, former French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua, and Shaker al-Kaffaji, an Iraqi-American businessman, who contributed US$400,000 to produce a film by ex-UN inspector Scott Ritter discrediting the weapons searches. India's foreign minister was removed from office because of his role in the scandal. Many prominent Russian firms and individuals were also included in the al-Mada allegations. Even the Russian Orthodox Church was supposedly involved in illegal oil trading. Former assistant to the Vatican secretary of state, Reverend Jean-Marie Benjamin, is said to have received rights to sell 4.5 million barrels. George Galloway subsequently won two libel actions against the Christian Science Monitor and Daily Telegraph which reported the allegations.[5][6] George Galloway George Galloway (born 16 August 1954) is a British politician noted for his socialist views, confrontational style, and rhetorical skill. ...
Charles Pasqua (born April 18, French businessman and politician. ...
Shakir al Khafaji (born 1955) is a Detroit-based Iraqi-American businessman involved in the United Nations Oil for Food scandal. ...
William Scott Ritter, Jr. ...
This article needs to be wikified. ...
In English and American law, and systems based on them, libel and slander are two forms of defamation (or defamation of character), which is the tort or delict of making a false statement of fact that injures someones reputation. ...
The Christian Science Monitor (CSM) is an international newspaper published daily, Monday through Friday. ...
This article deals with The Daily Telegraph in Britain, see The Daily Telegraph (Australia) for the Australian publication The Daily Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper founded in 1855. ...
In an interview with the Financial Times, Khafaji admitted that he received and sold Iraqi oil contracts to Italtech, an Italian based oil trading company, which resold the oil to Houston-based Bayoil. Khafaji claims Ritter was unaware of this activity.[7] The Financial Times (FT) is an international business newspaper printed on distinctive salmon pink broadsheet paper. ...
Houston redirects here. ...
Arthur Millholland, president of Oilexco Ltd, whose name also appeared on the Al Mada list denied any wrongdoing, but confirms the charges that illegal surcharges were being paid to the Iraqi government by contractors. [8] However, the al-Mada list does not discuss bribes paid to Iraq - it discusses bribes paid to individuals so that they would support Iraq. Few deny that in Iraq, like in many third world countries, bribes and kickbacks were regularly paid to the leadership in order to get contracts, but some suggest that kickbacks would normally not occur in such countries when a UN-run program was involved.
Operation of the scheme The scheme is alleged to have worked like this: individuals and organizations sympathetic to the Iraqi regime, or those just easily bribed, were offered oil contracts through the Oil-for-Food Programme. These contracts for Iraqi oil could then be sold on the open world market and the seller was allowed to keep a transaction fee, said to be between $0.15 and $0.50/barrel (0.94 and 3.14 $/m³) of oil sold. The seller was then to refund the Iraqi government a certain percentage of the commission.
Contracts to sell Iraq humanitarian goods through the Oil-for-Food Programme were given to companies and individuals based on their willingness to kickback a certain percentage of the contract profits to the Iraqi regime. Companies that sold commodities via the oil for food program were overcharging by up to 10%, with part of the overcharged amount being diverted into private bank accounts for Saddam Hussein and other regime officials and the other part being kept by the supplier.
The involvement of the UN itself in the scandal began in February after the name of Benon Sevan, executive director of the Oil-for-Food Programme, appeared on the Iraqi Oil Ministry's documents. Sevan allegedly was given vouchers for at least 11,000,000 barrels (1,700,000 m³) of oil, worth some $3.5 million. Sevan has denied the charges. Benon V. Sevan (born December 18, 1937 Nicosia, Cyprus) was the head of the United Nations Oil for Food program established in 1996, charged with preventing Iraqs government from using the proceeds from oil exports for anything but food, medicine and other items to benefit the civilian population. ...
Alleged US and UK complicity It has also been alleged that the American and British governments were fully aware of the scandal, but opted to close their eyes to smuggling because their allies Turkey and Jordan benefited from the majority of the smuggled oil.
US Senator Carl Levin (D-Michigan) is quoted in an interview for the New York Times as saying "There is no question that the bulk of the illicit oil revenues came from the open sale of Iraqi oil to Jordan and to Turkey, and that that was a way of going around the oil-for-food program [and that] We were fully aware of the bypass and looked the other way." Carl Milton Levin (born June 28, 1934) is a Democratic United States Senator from Michigan. ...
Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area Ranked 11th - Total 102,384 sq. ...
The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations assigned to investigate the scandal has also concluded that The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is currently chaired by Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN), with Carl Levin (D-MI) as a ranking member. ...
"The United States (government) was not only aware of Iraqi oil sales which violated UN sanctions and provided the bulk of the illicit money Saddam Hussein obtained from circumventing UN sanctions. On occasion, the United States actually facilitated the illicit oil sales." The report also found that individuals and companies in the United States accounted for 52% of all oil-voucher kickbacks paid to Saddam Hussein. The largest of these recipients, Houston based Bayoil and its CEO, Bay Chalmers have been indicted by the US Department of Justice for their actions.
Further, during the sanctions regime, the United States and United Kingdom had a lot of influence in the Security Council regarding Iraq, and in general, the monitoring was very detailed. [9]
BNP The sole bank handling funds transfers for the Oil-for-food program was the New York branch of the Banque Nationale de Paris-Paribas, or BNP Paribas. This French bank was the sole bank for administering the $64 billion U.N. program. An investigation by US House of Representatives International Relations Committee found that BNP Paribas made payments without proof that goods were delivered and sanctioned payments to third parties not identified as authorized recipients. Investigators estimate that the bank received more than $700 million in fees under the U.N. program that began in 1996 and ended after the ousting of Saddam in March 2003. [10] Nadhmi Auchi's General Mediterranean Holdings is BNP's major single shareholder. Nadhmi Auchi, born in 1937, is a British-resident, Iraqi-born billionaire. ...
The General Mediterranean Holdings (GenMed) is a financial holding established in 1979 in Luxembourg, through which Anglo-Iraqi billionaire Nadhmi Auchi control his financial empire. ...
Duelfer investigation The Duelfer report, released on 30 September 2004, described in a key finding the impact of the Oil-for-Food Programme on Saddam's regime: September 30 is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 92 days remaining. ...
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
- • The introduction of the Oil-For-Food program (OFF) in late 1996 was a key turning point for the Regime. OFF rescued Baghdad’s economy from a terminal decline created by sanctions. The Regime quickly came to see that OFF could be corrupted to acquire foreign exchange both to further undermine sanctions and to provide the means to enhance dual-use infrastructure and potential WMD-related development.[vol. I, p.1]
The final official version of the report cites only France, Russia and Canada as violators who paid kickbacks (countries who were also heavily anti-war) while at the same time specifically censoring out companies from the US originially included by Duelfer by CIA order. [11] However, the full version of the report, before the U.S. names were removed, was sent to congressional committees and some of it made publicly available. The U.S. companies implicated include Exxon Mobil Corp., ChevronTexaco Corp. and El Paso Corp. [12] The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ...
Exxon Mobil Corporation or ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM), headquartered in Irving, Texas, is an oil producer and distributor formed on November 30, 1999, by the merger of Exxon and Mobil. ...
ChevronTexaco Corporation (NYSE: CVX) ranks among the worlds largest and most competitive global energy companies. ...
El Paso Corporation, headquartered in Houston, Texas, provides natural gas and related energy products and is one of North Americas largest independent natural gas producers. ...
Oil coupons as bribes The U.S. funded satellite network Al Hurra broadcast a story on January 6, 2005 detailing allegations Saddam's regime bribed news reporters with oil coupons. Reporters named include Ahmed Mansour of Al Jazeera and Hamida Naanaa, a writer based in France known for her pro-Saddam slant. Two types of oil coupons were used: silver coupons that entitled holders to nine million barrels of oil and gold coupons that were worth more. Hamida Naanaa is said to have received a gold coupon.[13] Alhurra or Al Hurra (الحرّة, United States-based satellite TV channel, sponsored by the U.S. government, that began broadcasting on February 14, 2004 in 22 countries across the Middle East. ...
Al Jazeera logo Al Jazeera (الجزيرة), meaning The Island or The (Arabian) Peninsula (whence also Algiers) is an Arabic television channel based in Qatar. ...
Complaints by Kurds The Kurds had complained since the start of the program that they were not being paid their fair share of the oil revenues. According to the guidelines set up by the Oil-for-Food Programme, the revenues were to be divided up in such a way as to protect Iraq's predominantly Kurdish regions. The allegations include claims that the Cairo office of the U.N.'s World Health Organization, run by an individual alleged to have received oil sales contracts, managed to stall the building of a new general hospital for the Kurdish city of Sulaymaniyah, even though the funds for the project had been available since 1998. Kurds are one of the Iranian peoples and speak Kurdish, a north-Western Iranian language related to Persian. ...
Flag of World Health Organization The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations, acting as a coordinating authority on international public health, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. ...
Sulaymaniyah (Arabic: as-sulaymÄnÄ«yä, Kurdish: Slêmanî, Former: Sharazur) is a city in the southeast of greater Kurdistan (the Kurdish-speaking region of the Middle East). ...
Potential Annan link On June 14, 2005, two 1998 memos surfaced that appeared to link Kofi Annan to Cotecna Inspection S.A. The first one described a meeting between Annan and Cotecna while the company was bidding on the program, after which the company raised its bid. A second one mentioned that Cotecna was confident that they would get the bid due to "effective but quiet lobbying" in New York diplomatic circles. The source of the documents was a Cotecna executive. June 14 is the 165th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (166th in leap years), with 200 days remaining. ...
2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...
Lobbying is the professional practice of public affairs advocacy, with the goal of influencing a governing body by promoting a point of view. ...
Used to finance Al-Qaeda The scandal engulfing the United Nations Procurement Department and the Oil for Food Programme involved IHC Services and Al-Qaeda finance operations. IHC was investigated in the summer of 2005 after FOX News broke the story IHC was involved with Alexander Yakovlev, a Russian official in the U.N. Procurement Department, who later resigned and pled guilty to corruption charges. One of the shareholders of IHC's holding company was Engelbert Schreiber, Jr. who has been linked to Ahmed Idris Nasreddin, a man designated as a terrorist financier by the U.S. and U.N. The U.N. has named Nasreddin as a man "belonging to or affiliated with Al Qaeda." IHC also had connections to Saddam Hussein's former regime through Petra Navigation Group, a company that advertises itself as IHC's agent in the Middle East. Petra Navigation was on the blacklist of firms blocked from doing business with the U.S. for sanctions-busting activities designed to help Saddam's regime. [14] Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ...
Fox News Channels slogan is We Report, You Decide The Fox News Channel is a U.S. cable and satellite news channel. ...
Alexander Yakovlev may refer to: Alexander Nikolaevich Yakovlev, a prominent supporter of glasnost and ally of Mikhael Gorbachev in the 1980s. ...
Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ...
Allegations against George Galloway The U.S. Subcommittee on Investigations claimed that British Member of Parliament George Galloway among others was the recipient of approximately $600,000 of illegal oil kickbacks from the Iraqi regime. During testimony before the committee on May 17, 2005, Galloway stated that the charges were false and part of a diversionary "smoke screen" by pro-Iraq war U.S. politicians to deflect attention from the "theft of billions of dollars of Iraq's wealth... on your watch" that had occurred not during the Oil-for-Food program but under the post-invasion Coalition Provisional Authority by "Haliburton and other American corporations... with the connivance of your own government." A later October 25, 2005 report [15] prepared by the subcommittee's majority (Republican) staff claimed to have evidence that Mr. Galloway was "false or misleading" during his Senate testimony, and further that his wife (since divorced) received some of the kickbacks.[16] A second new element to the accusations is the subcommittee's claim that former Iraqi foreign minister Tariq Aziz, imprisoned without charges in a secret location since early 2003, has verified them. However Aziz's lawyer Badia Aref states "these are lies ... he (Aziz) denied this."[17] Mr. Galloway continues to deny wrongdoing and challenged the Subcommittee's chairman Senator Norm Coleman to charge him with perjury.[18]. George Galloway George Galloway (born 16 August 1954) is a British politician noted for his socialist views, confrontational style, and rhetorical skill. ...
May 17 is the 137th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (138th in leap years). ...
2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 67 days remaining. ...
2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ...
Tariq Aziz, also Tareq Aziz (Arabic: طارق عزيز) (born 1936 in Tel Keppe, Iraq) was the Foreign Minister (1983–1991) and Deputy Prime Minister (1979–2003) of Iraq, and a close advisor of President Saddam Hussein for decades. ...
Norman Bertram Norm Coleman Jr. ...
Oil for wheat A report by UN investigator Paul Volcker, released in October 2005, found that the Australian Wheat Board, later AWB Limited, was the biggest single source of kickbacks. In exchange for trouble-free disembarkation of wheat purchased under the Oil for food program, the Australian Wheat Board paid 'trucking charges' totaling $AU300 Million to Alia. Alia is a real Jordanian trucking company, but one with no role on the distribution of Australian Wheat in Iraq. Alia kept a small percentage of 'charges', and passed the remainder to Saddam's government. The AWB was fully compensated for the charges by increases in the price paid and the payments were approved by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Managing director Andrew Lindberg resigned over this in 2006. [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] AWB Limited is the Australian company that oversees the exports of grain, paticularly wheat. ...
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is an Australian government department concerned with the relations between Australia and other nations, both in political and economic terms. ...
Andrew Lindberg (born Scotland circa 1954) B.Sc. ...
2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Investigations
GAO investigation After the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, and subsequent Coalition victory over the Iraqi army, the US General Accounting Office (GAO) was given the task of finalizing all Oil for Food related supply contracts with the now defunct regime as well as tracking down the personal fortunes of former regime members. [24] During this task, the GAO found weaknesses in the program that allowed kickbacks and other sources of wealth for Saddam Hussein.
The GAO estimates that the Saddam Hussein regime generated $10.1 billion in illegal revenues. This figure includes $5.7 billion from oil smuggling, and $4.4 billion in illicit surcharges on oil sales and after-sales charges on suppliers. In other words, most of the illicit money came from Saddam Hussein's regime oil smuggling, not from the United Nations Oil-for-Food Program.[25] The scale of the fraud was far more extensive than the GAO had previously estimated. A US Department of Defense study, cited by the GAO, evaluated 759 contracts administered through the Oil-for-Food Programme and found that nearly half had been overpriced, by an average of 21 percent [26]. Unlike the 661 committee, members of the security council had the authority to launch investigations into contracts and to stop any contract they did not like. The British and American had turned down hundreds of Oil for Food contract requests, but these were blocked primarily on the grounds that the items being imported were dual use technologies. The United States Department of Defense, abbreviated DoD or DOD and sometimes called the Defense Department, is a civilian Cabinet organization of the United States government. ...
To quote the GAO report, in its summary:
- Both the U.N. Secretary General, through the Office of the Iraqi Programme (OIP) and the Security Council, through its sanctions committee for Iraq, were responsible for overseeing the Oil-for-Food Programme. However, the Iraqi government negotiated contracts directly with purchasers of Iraqi oil and suppliers of commodities, which may have been one important factor that allowed Iraq to levy illegal surcharges and commissions.
Before U.N. officials had pledged full cooperation with the GAO's investigation, Joseph A. Christoff, director of international affairs and trade at the General Accounting Office, told a House hearing that U.N. auditors had refused to release the internal audits of the Oil-for-Food Programme [27]. Benon Sevan, with support from Kofi Annan, had written letters to all former Oil for Food contractors asking them to consult Sevan before releasing any documents to GAO or US congressional inquiry panels [28]. Throughout its history, the program had received complaints from critics saying it needed to be more open, and complaints from companies about proprietary information being disclosed. Benon V. Sevan (born December 18, 1937 Nicosia, Cyprus) was the head of the United Nations Oil for Food program established in 1996, charged with preventing Iraqs government from using the proceeds from oil exports for anything but food, medicine and other items to benefit the civilian population. ...
Kofi Atta Annan (born April 8, 1938) is a Ghanaian diplomat and the seventh and current Secretary-General of the United Nations. ...
The United Nations has denied all requests by the GAO for access to confidential internal audits of the Oil-for-Food Programme.
While attempting to determine the complexity of the Oil-for-Food Programme for an article in the New York Times, investigative journalist Claudia Rosett of the conservative Foundation for the Defense of Democracies and the conservative Hudson Institute, discovered that the UN treated details such as the identities of Oil-for-Food contractors, the price, quantity and quality of goods involved in the relief deals, and the identities of the oil buyers and precise quantities they received, as confidential. The bank statements, the interest paid, the transactions, were all secret as well. [29] Rosett has come under harsh criticism, from Denis Halliday [30] and Benon Sevan [31], who claimed that many of Rosett's claims (such as Oil For Food funding the approval of an Olympic stadium, and where responsibility for various issues lay according to the UN resolutions) were incorrect. The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ...
Investigative journalism is a branch of journalism that usually concentrates on a very specific topic, and typically requires a lot of work to yield results. ...
Claudia Rossett is an American writer and journalist. ...
The Hudson Institute is a conservative think tank founded in 1961 in Croton-on-Hudson, New York by the futurist Herman Kahn and other colleagues from the RAND Corporation. ...
Denis J. Halliday was born in Ireland and holds an M.A. in Economics, Geography and Public Administration from Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. ...
Benon V. Sevan (born December 18, 1937 Nicosia, Cyprus) was the head of the United Nations Oil for Food program established in 1996, charged with preventing Iraqs government from using the proceeds from oil exports for anything but food, medicine and other items to benefit the civilian population. ...
The House International Relations Committee investigated the Oil-for-Food Programme and discovered that money was provided by Sabah Yassen, the former Iraqi ambassador to Jordan, to pay the families of Palestinian suicide bombers between $15,000 to $25,000.[32] From September 2000 until the invasion of Iraq, the families of Palestinians killed or wounded in the conflict with Israel (including 117 responsible for suicide bombings in Israel) received over $35 million. It is claimed that this money came from the UN Oil for Food program but so far there is no conclusive proof of that.[33] This claim, however, has added to the list of claims against the UN, damaging its image, rightly, or unfairly. A suicide bombing is a bomb attack on people or property, committed by a person who knows the explosion will cause his or her own death (see suicide, suicide weapons). ...
Independent Inquiry Committee After initial opposition to an investigation, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated on 19 March 2004, that a full independent investigation would be launched. In an official press interview, Annan said "[...] it is highly possible that there has been quite a lot of wrongdoing, but we need to investigate [...] and see who was responsible." "00:00:03". (audio clip, @5:56) However, Annan was very specific that most of the claims were "outrageous and exaggerated" [34], and that most of the criticisms were over things that the program had no authority over. Kofi Atta Annan (born April 8, 1938) is a Ghanaian diplomat and the seventh and current Secretary-General of the United Nations. ...
March 19 is the 78th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (79th in leap years). ...
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The following individuals were chosen in April of 2004 to head the United Nations' Independent Inquiry Committee[35]: The Paul Volcker Committee (Independent Inquiry Committee) - Report that investigated the corruption and fraud in the UN Oil-for-Food Programme. ...
On April 22, 2004, the United Nations Security Council passed a unanimous resolution endorsing the Volcker inquiry into corruption in the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme for Iraq calling upon all 191 member states to cooperate. (NYT) Economist Paul Adolph Volcker (September 5, 1927 - ) born in Cape May, New Jersey, is best-known as the Chairman of the Federal Reserve under United States Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan (from August 1979 to August 1987). ...
Motto: (1789 to 1956) (Latin for Out of many, one) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at federal level; English (de facto) Government Federal Republic - President George W. Bush (R) - Vice...
The Federal Reserve System is headquartered in the Eccles Building on Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC. The Federal Reserve System (also the Federal Reserve; informally The Fed) is the central bank of the United States. ...
The United Nations Association of the United States of America or UNA-USA was founded in 1943 by Eleanor Roosevelt as the American Association for the United Nations (AAUN) which was merged with the in 1964. ...
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation of those developed countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and a free market economy. ...
Richard J. Goldstone, (born October 26, 1938), South African judge and international war crimes prosecutor. ...
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), is a body of the United Nations (UN) established to...
Wanted poster for the ICTR The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) is a court under the auspices of the United Nations for the prosecution of offenses committed in Rwanda during the genocide which occurred there during April, 1994, commencing on April 6. ...
April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ...
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
United Nations - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ...
A session of the Security Council in progress The United Nations Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. ...
A leaked internal U.N. audit, which surfaced on mineweb.com, shows massive discrepancies between Cotecna reports and U.N. agency reports for the value of the shipments into northern Iraq. The audit found that Cotecna did no "value" inspections on nearly US$1 billion worth of aid shipments for the Inter-Agency Humanitarian Programme into northern Iraq. Benon Sevan was briefed in December 2002 on the findings of the audit. [36] Benon V. Sevan (born December 18, 1937 Nicosia, Cyprus) was the head of the United Nations Oil for Food program established in 1996, charged with preventing Iraqs government from using the proceeds from oil exports for anything but food, medicine and other items to benefit the civilian population. ...
The audit is available here. Its summary states:
- OIOS' overall conclusion is that the management of the Contract has not been adequate and certain provisions of the Contract had not been adhered to. In addition, the incorporation of additional costs, such as rehabilitation of camps in the man-day-rate was an unacceptable arrangement. Also, the Contract had been amended prior to its commencement, which was inappropriate. OIP needs to strengthen its management of contracts and the Procurement Division (PD) should ensure that the basis of payment is appropriate in order to avoid additional costs to the Organization
After reading the leaked audit congressman Henry Hyde wrote to Kofi Annan wondering why "The U.S. Congress — which provides 22 percent of the U.N.'s budget and which has publicly requested copies of the 55 internal audits — should be required to depend on media leaks for source documents." Henry John Hyde (born April 18, 1924), American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1975, representing the 6th District of Illinois (map). ...
Interim report results In a 219-page initial report, the Volcker commission documents how OIF Chairman Benon Sevan used his position to solicit and receive allocations of oil from Iraq during the years he oversaw the humanitarian relief program. Internal records from SOMO (Iraq 's State Oil Marketing Organization) as well as interviews with former Iraqi officials involved in illicit oil deals, show that Sevan had requested and received allocations of 7.3 million barrels of oil on behalf of a Panama-registered trading company called African Middle East Petroleum Co. Benon V. Sevan (born December 18, 1937 Nicosia, Cyprus) was the head of the United Nations Oil for Food program established in 1996, charged with preventing Iraqs government from using the proceeds from oil exports for anything but food, medicine and other items to benefit the civilian population. ...
Although the report makes no specific allegations of criminal activity by Sevan, Volcker does not rule out the possibility that charges might be filed by authorities in countries with relevant jurisdiction. The report called Mr. Sevan's conduct "ethically improper” noting that Sevan had received large cash payments totaling $160,000 dollars each year he had headed the program. Sevan claims the money came from an aunt in Cyprus who has since died, but the panel found no evidence to back this claim.
Volcker also reported in January that a review of 58 confidential UN internal OIF audits showed UN officials ignored early signs that humanitarian goods shipped to Iraq before the 2003 Invasion war were given little if any inspections by the Swiss company Cotecna. Cotecna paid Kojo Annan, Kofi Annan's son, consulting fees until November 2003. Volcker said future reports would deal with questions regarding Kojo Annan. [37] To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
Look up November in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Investigations by Iraqi Governing Council International accounting firm KPMG had been selected by the Iraqi Governing Council to investigate the al-Mada claims, along with Freshfield Bruckhaus Deringer. They were due to release its findings to the Iraqi Governing Council in May of 2004. However, in June of 2004 KPMG stopped working on the project because they were owed money by the IGC [38]. KPMG is one of the largest professional services firms in the world. ...
The Iraqi Governing Council. ...
The US has been harshly critical of the KPMG probe led by associates of Ahmed Chalabi, accusing it of undermining the main probe established by Paul Bremer. That probe had been run by the head of the Iraq's independent Board of Supreme Audit, Ehsan Karim, with assistance from Ernst & Young. The Board of Supreme Audit is within the Iraqi Finance Ministry. In June of 2004, Karim's investigation agreed to share information with the Volcker panel. However, on 1 July 2004, Karim was killed by a bomb magnetically attached to his car [39]. Ernst & Young is one of the largest professional services firms in the world, and a Big 4 accountancy firm, along with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and KPMG // History The firm as we know it today is the result of a series of mergers of ancestor organizations. ...
July 1 is the 182nd day of the year (183rd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 183 days remaining. ...
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Claude Hankes-Drielsma, a British national and longtime friend of Ahmed Chalabi, was appointed by the IGC to coordinate its investigation of the Oil-for-Food Programme. Drielsma testified in front of the US Congress (on 21 April 2004) that the KPMG investigation "is expected to demonstrate the clear link between those countries which were quite ready to support Saddam Hussein's regime for their own financial benefit, at the expense of the Iraqi people, and those that opposed the strict application of sanctions and the overthrow of Saddam." He also testified that Chalabi is in charge of the investigation for the IGC. April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ...
2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
In late May of 2004, on the same day that Chalabi's offices at the Iraqi National Congress were raided by coalition forces, Drielsma claimed that an individual or individuals hacked into his computer and deleted every file associated with his investigation. He also claimed that "a back-up databank" was also deleted [40]. When asked by Caludia Rosette if he had been physically threatened as well, Drielsma, replied with "no comment." Drielsma has also been an outspoken critic of the UN's refusal to release any internal Oil for Food audit information to the IGC.
U.S. Senate investigations U.S. Senator Norm Coleman called for Kofi Annan to resign over the scandal and held a number of hearings on the matter. The most spectacular of these hearings occurred after the subcommittee released a report that accused British Member of Parliament (MP) George Galloway, Russian politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and former French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua of receiving oil allocations from Iraq in return for being political allies of Saddam Hussein's regime. Galloway, in an unusual appearance of a British MP before a US Senate subcommittee, responded angrily to the allegations against him in a confrontational public hearing which drew much media attention in both America and Britain [41]. Galloway denied the allegations and pointed out some factual errors in the subcommittee's report. The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ...
Norman Bertram Norm Coleman Jr. ...
A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to a parliament; in the Westminster system, specifically to the lower house. ...
George Galloway George Galloway (born 16 August 1954) is a British politician noted for his socialist views, confrontational style, and rhetorical skill. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
Charles Pasqua (born April 18, French businessman and politician. ...
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, (Arabic ), born April 28, 1937 , was the President of Iraq from 1979 until the United States-led invasion of Iraq reached Baghdad on April 9, 2003. ...
George Galloway George Galloway (born 16 August 1954) is a British politician noted for his socialist views, confrontational style, and rhetorical skill. ...
It is estimated that as much as 10 billion to $21.3 billion went unaccounted for and or was directed to Saddam Hussein and his government in the form of kick backs and oil smuggling. Record keeping of illegal behaviour is hard to come by, rare at best. To date only 1 of 54 internal UN audits of the Oil for Food program have been made public. The UN has refused all requests of their audits.
Staff from the Senate investigations committee presented documentary evidence that the Bush administration was made aware of illegal oil sales and kickbacks paid to the Saddam Hussein regime but could do nothing to stop them. The Senate report found that US oil purchases accounted for 52% of the kickbacks paid to the regime in return for sales of cheap oil - more than the rest of the world put together. Although, the two countries to profit most from the program were allegedly France and Russia. These two countries were the strongest supporters of lifting UN imposed sanctions against Iraq and were also against the 2003 U.S. led invasion of Iraq.
Criminal investigation in France The French criminal justice system is investigating alleged involvement of two former officials from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Bernard Mérimée and Serge Boidevaix. The two are accused to have used their extensive network of connections in the Arab world in order to commit "influence peddling" and "corruption of foreign public agents". They have been put under formal criminal investigation by investigating magistrate Philippe Courroye, a famous specialist of cases of corruption and other financial dealings. Both men had retired at the time of the alleged crimes and acted in their personal capacity, not as official envoys of the French government; however, Boidevaix claims that he kept the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed of his actions in Iraq. The Ministry claims to have warned both men formally in 2001 (under the administration of Lionel Jospin). In 1589, the four French Secretaries of State became specialized, with one of the secretaries responsible for foreign affairs. ...
This article is about the inquisitorial system for organizing court proceedings. ...
2001: A Space Odyssey. ...
Lionel Robert Jospin (born July 12, 1937 in Meudon, a suburb of Paris) is a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997-2002. ...
Some other people, including Bernard Guillet, an aide to French senator Charles Pasqua, are also under formal investigation. Guillet and Pasqua deny any wrongdoing. Charles Pasqua (born April 18, French businessman and politician. ...
Endnotes - ^ The Guardian on Nadhmi Auchi (see also Clearstream scandal)
Clearstream Banking S.A. (CB) is the clearing division of Deutsche Börse, based in Luxembourg. ...
See also Image File history File links Wikinews-logo. ...
Wikinews is a free-content news source and a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. ...
Image File history File links Wikinews-logo. ...
Wikinews is a free-content news source and a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. ...
United Nations sanctions against Iraq were imposed by the United Nations in 1991 following Iraqs invasion of Kuwait in 1990, and continued until the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. ...
To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...
Combatants U.S.-led coalition Iraq Commanders George H. W. Bush Norman Schwarzkopf Colin Powell Saddam Hussein Ali Hassan al-Majid Hussein Kamel Strength 660,000 545,000 Casualties 345 dead, 1,000 wounded 25,000 - 100,000 dead, 100,000 - 300,000 wounded The 1991 Gulf War (also called...
Combatants Republic of Iraq (Saddam Hussein regime), Baath Loyalists, Iraqi insurgency United States, United Kingdom, Multinational force in Iraq, New Iraqi Army Casualties Military dead: 6,000-30,000 Civilian dead: 30,000-100,000 Total dead: 8,000-194,000: Military dead: 2,685 Civilian dead: 0 Total...
This article deals with the post-invasion period in Iraq and its occupation. ...
The Cole Inquiry or more properly the Inquiry into certain Australian companies in relation to the UN Oil-For-Food Programme is an inquiry set up by the Government of Australia under the Royal Commissions Act 1902 in November 2005 to inquire whether decisions, actions, conduct or payments by Australian...
External links
Sites SourceWatchs logo features a magnifying glass through which its name can be seen. ...
Articles 2005 - Putting Oil-for-Food in Perspective, JURIST, November 2, 2005
- Oil for food: A shared failure – Still a long way to go, transparency.org, October 27, 2005
- "U.N.: 2,200 Companies Gave Iraq Illicit Funds", Nick Wadhams & Edith Lederer, Associated Press, Yahoo News, October 27, 2005
- Financial Times, 13 January 2005, "US ignored warning on Iraqi oil smuggling"
- CNN.com, Documents: U.S. condoned Iraq oil smuggling, 2 February 2005
- BBC,
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