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Marc Rich tied to Iraq oil
New York Daily News ^
| 12/02/04
| Bill Hutchinson
Posted on 12/02/2004 1:28:23 AM PST by kattracks
Ex-fugitive Marc Rich is suspected of having become one of Saddam Hussein's middlemen in Iraq's illegal oil trade just a month after he won a controversial pardon from former President Bill Clinton, a news report said. ABC News reported last night that Rich's alleged role in the growing UN oil-for-food scandal is under investigation by federal officials.
Rich, who was pardoned by Clinton in January 2001, and several other prominent oil traders are suspected of making illegal kickbacks to Iraq to win the lucrative oil contracts, the network reported.
The UN program was set up in 1996 to help Iraqis get food, medicine and other items that had been scarce under sanctions imposed after the 1991 Persian Gulf War. But investigators say Saddam realized more than $21billion under the program through kickbacks and other scams.
Rich fled the U.S. in 1986 while facing tax evasion charges.
Bill Hutchinson
Originally published on December 2, 2004
TOPICS: Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: billclinton; breakingnews; bubbaisms; clinton; clintoncronies; clintonista; clintonlegacy; clintonlibrary; clintonpardon; clintonpardons; foodforoilscandal; hillary2008; hillaryclinton; hillaryin2008; marcrich; oilforfood; pardongate; pardonsforsale; richpardon; un; unitednations; unscandals
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1
posted on
12/02/2004 1:28:23 AM PST
by
kattracks
To: kattracks
If Bill and Hill are involved in this, will they be forced to share a jail cell? Or would this be cruel and unusual punishment for Bill?
2
posted on
12/02/2004 1:30:43 AM PST
by
msnimje
To: kattracks
No Kidding
Freepers have know this for MONTHS!!
3
posted on
12/02/2004 1:34:14 AM PST
by
Mo1
(Should be called Oil for Fraud and not Oil for Food)
To: kattracks; All
Crosslinking:
Click this picture & go to the "last" for the latest UN scandals:
4
posted on
12/02/2004 1:35:54 AM PST
by
backhoe
(-30-)
To: kattracks
Americans' Role Eyed in U.N. Oil Scandal
Were American Oil Brokers Involved in Iraq Oil Kickback Schemes?
By BRIAN ROSS and RHONDA SCHWARTZ
Dec. 1, 2004
Former American fugitive Marc Rich was a middleman for several of Iraq's suspect oil deals in February 2001, just one month after his pardon from President Clinton, according to oil industry shipping records obtained by ABC News.
And a U.S. criminal investigation is looking into whether Rich, as well as several other prominent oil traders, made illegal payments to Iraq in order to obtain the lucrative oil contracts.
"Without that kind of middleman, the system would not work because the major oil companies did not want to deal with Iraq because there was a mandated kickback," said human rights investigator John Fawcett.
Another broker was New York oil trader Ben Pollner, head of Taurus Oil, who investigators say handled several billion dollars worth of the transactions now under investigation.
Pollner told ABC News he paid no bribes or kickbacks to the Iraqi regime.
Rich is still living in Switzerland and unavailable for comment.
The roles of several American oil companies, including ChevronTexaco and ExxonMobil, are also under investigation. ChevronTexaco received subpoenas requesting information for two separate grand jury proceedings, and said they were cooperating fully with both investigations.
The U.N. oil-for-food corruption scandal only continues to grow in scope. Today, Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., who is leading the congressional investigation into the program, said that U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan should resign because the scandal occurred on his watch.
"I think there's a terrible stain on the credibility and the reputation of the United Nations, there's no doubt about that," said Coleman. "If we're ever to get to the bottom, how can you get there if the guy who was in charge during the course of this fraud and corruption is the guy now who is supposed to be ferreting it out?"
Top officials of the U.N., including Annan, are accused of looking the other way as some $21 billion meant for humanitarian aid was stolen by the Saddam Hussein regime.
Uncovered in the federal criminal investigation were previously undisclosed payments to Annan's son, Kojo, from his employer Cotecna. The Swiss company had been specifically hired to monitor the oil-for-food program.
Annan's son left the company in 1998 but received payments until this year.
Secretary-general since 1997, Annan said this week he was unaware of the payments. "Naturally I was very disappointed and surprised, yes," he said.
Also under criminal investigation is the U.N. official Annan put in charge of the program, Benon Sevan.
Documents discovered by U.S. forces in Iraq suggest Sevan received payments in the form of oil contacts from the Hussein regime, although Sevan has denied any wrongdoing.
5
posted on
12/02/2004 1:56:17 AM PST
by
Oldeconomybuyer
(The democRATS are near the tipping point.)
To: prairiebreeze
Ping. So when will we see the MSM condemn Rich for this pardon? It would be unimaginably bad publicity if a Republican was tied up in this.
6
posted on
12/02/2004 2:02:00 AM PST
by
Peach
(The Clintons pardoned more terrorists than they ever captured or killed)
To: kattracks
7
posted on
12/02/2004 2:15:21 AM PST
by
Mia T
(Stop Clintons' Undermining Machinations (The acronym is the message.))
To: Oldeconomybuyer; Peach; kattracks
As long as you've got a rich [Rich?] man on your arm, you don't need a big bag. --Elizabeth Rickard
-
|
pro-islamofascist-terrorist radical chic WHY JOHN KERRY IS DANGEROUS FOR AMERICA
- by Mia T, 5.15.04
-
(viewing movie requires Flash Player 7, available HERE)
johnkerryisdangerousforamerica.blogspot.com
-
As long as you've got a rich man on your arm, you don't need a big bag. --Elizabeth Rickard The $100 billion Iraqi Oil for Food program was by far the largest relief operation in the history of the United Nations. By extension, it's rapidly becoming the U.N.'s largest-ever scandal.... Those included rewarding friends and allies world-wide with oil allocations on very favorable terms, as well as extracting large kickbacks from oil traders and suppliers of humanitarian goods.... There can be little doubt that U.N. mismanagement contributed greatly to the negative perception of the anti-Saddam containment policy. There is also little doubt that the reward and kickback scheme--as well the possibility of exposure--was a factor as some countries weighed whether to back U.S.-led regime change in Iraq. There is even reason to suspect that some of the Saddam friends and allies who benefited may have been members of the U.N. Secretariat. Oil for Scandal The Wall Street Journal Editorial Page Thursday, March 18, 2004 12:01 a.m.
|
eave it to the French to make pro-islamofascist-terrorist radical chic all the rage.
They and their moneygrubbing, Oil-for-Food defrauding cohorts abroad, and their power-hungry would-be terrorist sympathizers here, are all sporting "THE LOOK."
(How many of those oh so trendy Kerry-clinton-Kennedy hate-America, blame-America-first sound bites will Al-Jazeera broadcast today?)
The trusty triad's half-truths, exaggerations and outright lies, confounded by fog of war, vagaries of peace and uncharted territory of asymmetric netherworlds, remind us that things are not always what they first seem. The UN Oil-for-Food scandal, for example, has shown us it was not "going to war with Iraq" that was "all about oil," but rather, "not going to war with Iraq." The Left, we now see, had that one, (as they have most things), exactly backward.
The dernier cri of seditious and corrupt Leftists everywhere, pro-islamofascist-terrorist radical chic renders the Left, irrespective of policy, no less dangerous to Western civilization than the terrorists they aid and abet.
|
8
posted on
12/02/2004 2:23:09 AM PST
by
Mia T
(Stop Clintons' Undermining Machinations (The acronym is the message.))
To: msnimje
If Carter beat Ford because of Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon, what do you think this bombshell will do to Hillary's chances in 2008?
9
posted on
12/02/2004 2:23:39 AM PST
by
weegee
(WE FOUGHT ZOGBYISM November 2, 2004 - 60 Million Voters versus 60 Minutes - BUSH WINS!!!)
To: Mia T
I'd pay cash money to see you make some of these into commercials!
10
posted on
12/02/2004 2:27:08 AM PST
by
Peach
(The Clintons pardoned more terrorists than they ever captured or killed)
To: kattracks
So, that means that Clinton's pardon wouldn't include the Oil-for-Food scandal?!
11
posted on
12/02/2004 3:01:50 AM PST
by
kcvl
To: kattracks
Me thinks Bill may have some
to do!
12
posted on
12/02/2004 3:08:44 AM PST
by
mentor2k
To: Peach
13
posted on
12/02/2004 3:12:43 AM PST
by
Mia T
(Stop Clintons' Undermining Machinations (The acronym is the message.))
To: kattracks
14
posted on
12/02/2004 3:15:54 AM PST
by
GailA
(Praise GOD and our Lord Jesus that GW won.)
To: Mia T
LOL. I'm hearing music and see a great commercial...
15
posted on
12/02/2004 3:16:16 AM PST
by
Peach
(The Clintons pardoned more terrorists than they ever captured or killed)
To: kattracks
Darn! Old scandals popping up again just has Hitlery was starting to measure the Oval Office for new drapes.
To: Peach
Perhaps you should add the words "and international criminals" to your tagline....
17
posted on
12/02/2004 3:25:28 AM PST
by
prairiebreeze
(It's my right to publically celebrate Christmas and state my faith in Christ. At least for now.....)
To: prairiebreeze
I think you're right! (See tagline)
18
posted on
12/02/2004 3:35:18 AM PST
by
Peach
(The Clintons pardoned more terrorists and international criminals than they ever captured or killed)
To: kattracks
This is hysterical. Rich's company was on that MEMRI list a while back, and the MSM is just figuring out the ties now? Give me a break. Well, at least we've reached the tipping point. There's no going back now.
19
posted on
12/02/2004 3:39:37 AM PST
by
mewzilla
To: kattracks
Say it aint so Bill,say it aint so!Please Bill say it aint so!Bettuch we will and he will lie again.The man is a POS.
20
posted on
12/02/2004 3:51:52 AM PST
by
noutopia
(Home of the brave,not the spineless.)
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