[b4its2late]

How the heck could a church (The Russian Orthodox Church received 5 million barrels) receive 5 million barrels of oil? Does someone receive it for them then sell it? I don't get it.... yet anyway. I'm sure some FReeper will know....

[Dog]

More than likely had a middleman handle the transaction....just got the cash.

[elfman2]

"Does someone receive it for them then sell it?"

I presume that’s how it works with every one on the list unless they own a lot of filling stations.

[Little Bill]

At 200,000 barrels a day * 365 * 20 years = 1,460,000,000 BBLs, the BS factor is rising. I would take the cash rather than futures.

[muawiyah]

The bribe directed toward the Russian Orthodox church is rather easily explained ~ since no one can "get to" the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, you have to "get to" someone with whom he is engaged in a rather serious dialogue ~ AND ~ Lo and Behold, the Pope has been thrashing out issues with the Russian Orthodox (usually over ownership of buildings, mission rights, usual church stuff) ever since the fall of the USSR.

I do recall the Pope advising us all against a war in Iraq. Many chalked that up to misadvice from folks in Rome. Obviously we must add to that misadvice from negotiators in Moscow.

[BykrBayb]

How the heck could a church (The Russian Orthodox Church received 5 million barrels) receive 5 million barrels of oil? Does someone receive it for them then sell it? I don't get it.... yet anyway. I'm sure some FReeper will know....

As I post this, several days after your question, and with hundreds of posts up, I see no responses listed under your replies. I'm sure someone besides me must have spotted this, and maybe they replied, but I don't see it.

The article states in part:

Fifth, the voucher recipients sold the vouchers to oil traders, who then collected the oil against the vouchers from the Kirkuk-Banias (Syria) pipeline terminal, which was operating in contravention of the Security Council sanctions. The pipeline carried 200,000 barrels per day of Iraqi oil, which benefited Syria greatly.

[OldFriend]

You get the right to sell the oil.

Remember Jesse Jackson getting oil rights from the reserves X42 released shortly before the election.