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3 Indicted in U.N. Oil-for-Food Scandal
FOX NEWS ^

Posted on 04/14/2005 6:52:49 AM PDT by yoely

NEW YORK — A Texas businessman is one of three people who were being indicted Thursday as part of the U.N.'s Oil-for-Food (search) program, FOX News has confirmed. David Chalmers (search), head of Texas-based Bayoil (Hussein's regime in Iraq as part of Oil-for-Food program, federal prosecutors said Thursday. U.S. Attorney David N. Kelley scheduled a 10:30 a.m. EDT news conference Thursday with an FBI official to announce the unsealing of the indictment, which his office said also named two companies operated by the formally unidentified Texan. The kickbacks involved funds otherwise intended for humanitarian relief, Kelley with conspiracy to act in the United States as an unregistered government agent for the Iraqi government's effort to create the oil-for-food program, the statement said. Further details were not immediately given. The kickbacks involved funds otherwise intended for humanitarian relief, Kelley said in a statement. In addition, Kelley was to unseal a criminal complaint that charges a South Korean citizen with conspiracy to act in the United States as an unregistered government agent for the Iraqi government's effort to create the oil-for-food program, the statement said. The United States and other U.N. member states have refused to fully cooperate with investigators looking into corruption in the oil-for-food program in Iraq, blocking access to information about politically sensitive actions of Security Council nations. Findings of the independent investigation — expected in midsummer — will likely lead to dozens of criminal prosecutions by legal authorities in various countries for bribery, sanctions busting, money laundering and fraud, officials told The Associated Press last month. After two interim reports focusing on key U.N. figures, .

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: davidchalmers; iraq; kickbacks; oilforfood; un
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1 posted on 04/14/2005 6:52:49 AM PDT by yoely
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To: yoely

When Kofi's name is added to the list I will be happy.


2 posted on 04/14/2005 6:59:24 AM PDT by Piquaboy (22 year veteran of the Army, Air Force and Navy, Pray for all our military .)
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To: yoely
http://spinswimming.blogspot.com/2004/10/did-democratic-donor-profit-from-oil.html

Did Democratic donor profit from Oil for Food?

It was a foregone conclusion that Americans would sooner or later be connected to the oil for food scandal, but had anyone associated with the Bush administration been linked, we would certainly be hearing about it from the MSM...in fact, that is probably the only thing we would be hearing.

However, one article has already appeared, linking several U.S. firms to the scheme:

WASHINGTON - Major U.S. oil companies and a Houston oil investor were among those who received lucrative vouchers that enabled them to buy Iraqi oil under the U.N. oil-for-food program, according to a report prepared by the CIA's chief arms inspector.

The 918-page report says that four American oil companies — Chevron, Mobil, Texaco and Houston-based Bay Oil — and three individuals, including Oscar Wyatt, were given vouchers and got 111 million barrels of oil between them from 1996 to 2003. The vouchers allowed them to profit by selling the oil or the right to trade it.

The other individuals, whose names appeared on a secret list kept by the former Iraqi government, were Samir Vincent of Annandale, Va., and Shakir Al-Khafaji of West Bloomfield, Mich., according to the report by the inspector, Charles Duelfer.

The fact that these companies and individuals received oil from Iraq does not mean that they did anything illegal, experts on the program said. Such allocations may have been proper if the individuals and companies received appropriate U.N. approval.

However, according to Newsweek, Wyatt has a bit of a history of giving to a certain political group:

Law-enforcement sources say Americans who participated in alleged oil-for-food scams also may face further investigation. The CIA deleted from Duelfer's report names of Saddam's U.S. oil-for-food favorites. But an uncensored copy of the Duelfer report obtained by NEWSWEEK indicates Houston oil mogul Oscar Wyatt got oil allocations from Saddam which could have earned him and Coastal Corp.—a company he founded and ran until 2000—profits of more than $22 million. Wyatt and wife Lynn are major donors to political causes: since 1989 they have given nearly $700,000 in contributions, of which more than $500,000 went to Democrats. Wyatt told NEWSWEEK that his company did buy oil from Saddam but that he never did so personally, and that his company's dealings all complied with U.N. rules.
Houston's Clear Thinkers also has a little more about Wyatt's political leanings:
Mr. Wyatt, who is 79 years old, has long been one of Houston's most outspoken businessmen. He founded Coastal Corp. and turned it into a natural gas giant before retiring as its chairman in 1997. El Paso Corp. bought Coastal in 2001 for $22.6 billion, and Mr. Wyatt's public (and caustic) displeasure with El Paso's management generated an unsuccessful proxy battle to oust El Paso's board last year. Another example of Mr. Wyatt's outspoken nature was his public opposition to Operation Desert Storm in the first Iraq War in 1991, which was led by fellow Houstonian President George H.W. Bush.
The Houston Chronicle has a bit more too:
Wyatt has had a long relationship with Saddam, dating back to before the Gulf War when his company Coastal Corp. was a major buyer of Iraqi oil. He won fame in 1991 by taking his company's plane to Iraq to pick up American citizens being held hostage during the run up to the war.

He also did business with the Libyan leader, Col. Moammar Gadhafi. In 2000, Coastal Corp. merged with El Paso Corp. Wyatt is still a large shareholder in El Paso, but he is not an executive with the company, which last month received the subpoena related to the Iraqi oil deals.

Wyatt Announced in March 1997 that he would retire and begin lobbying in Washington to lift sanctions against Iraq and Libya.

The lifting of sanctions is exactly what Saddam was hoping for so he could restart his WMD program, according to the recent CIA report. Of course, the MSM will probably headline this with a variation of "Texas Oil Man Linked to Saddam" to try to tie this to Bush. If fact, the New York Times has already attempted to link it to Bush, Cheney and Halliburton. We'll see how this plays out.


3 posted on 04/14/2005 7:00:38 AM PDT by Brian Mosely (A government is a body of people -- usually notably ungoverned)
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To: yoely

The Annans? Koffee and his dog Cujo?


4 posted on 04/14/2005 7:13:59 AM PDT by demlosers
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To: Brian Mosely

Micheal Moore:
BAY OIL
IN TEXAS
OIL + TEXAS = GEORGE BUSH!

i hate that man


5 posted on 04/14/2005 7:14:31 AM PDT by el_doctor2
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To: yoely

According to Opensecrets.org, since 1990, David Chalmers has donated $1,000 to Congressional Democrat campaigns and $2,300 to Congressional Republican campaigns.


6 posted on 04/14/2005 7:20:06 AM PDT by drjimmy
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To: Mo1; Peach

Not Wyatt, somebody named David Chalmers being indicted. May it be just the first of many....


7 posted on 04/14/2005 7:27:32 AM PDT by prairiebreeze (Does my American flag offend you? Dial 1-800-LEAVE THE USA!)
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To: el_doctor2
i hate that man

Which one, Moore or Bush?

Sign up date: 4/1/2005

Welcome to FR...I think.

8 posted on 04/14/2005 7:45:45 AM PDT by canalabamian (Diversity is not our strength...UNITY is.)
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To: yoely

David Kelley announcing indictments now, LIVE.

Explaining how the scam worked and how Iraq required kickbacks.

Defendents paid inflated commissions to brokers knowing a portion was earmarked for the Hussein regime.

Defendents facilitated the funnelling of money to front companies instead of for aid.

Defendents conspired to keep the price of oil articially deflated. Kelly outlines the scheme of the entities communicating the pricing scheme in order to be able to skim off their share.

Kelley started off by noting that earlier indictments had noted the investigation had just begun and today were more and the investigation is not over yet.


9 posted on 04/14/2005 7:55:19 AM PDT by cyncooper
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To: drjimmy
Here are the contribution for David Camblers Texas accroding to opensecrets.org

CHALMERS, DAVID B HOUSTON,TX 77002 CORAL OIL AND GAS INC 6/2/1995 $1,000 Gramm, Phil

CHALMERS, DAVID HOUSTON,TX 77019 BAY OIL USA 6/22/2000 $1,000 Democratic Senatorial Campaign Cmte CHALMERS, DAVID B AUSTIN,TX 78745 10/3/2002 $300 National Republican Congressional Cmte

No contributions for President George W Bush.

Here is the weblink

http://opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?NumOfThou=0&txtName=Chalmers%2C+David&txtState=TX&txtZip=&txtEmploy=&txtCand=&txt2004=Y&txt2002=Y&txt2000=Y&Order=N

10 posted on 04/14/2005 7:56:08 AM PDT by jveritas (The Left cannot win a national election ever again.)
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To: drjimmy
Here are the contribution for David Camblers Texas accroding to opensecrets.org

CHALMERS, DAVID B HOUSTON,TX 77002 CORAL OIL AND GAS INC 6/2/1995 $1,000 Gramm, Phil

CHALMERS, DAVID HOUSTON,TX 77019 BAY OIL USA 6/22/2000 $1,000 Democratic Senatorial Campaign Cmte

CHALMERS, DAVID B AUSTIN,TX 78745 10/3/2002 $300 National Republican Congressional Cmte

No contributions for President George W Bush.

Here is the weblink

http://opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?NumOfThou=0&txtName=Chalmers%2C+David&txtState=TX&txtZip=&txtEmploy=&txtCand=&txt2004=Y&txt2002=Y&txt2000=Y&Order=N

11 posted on 04/14/2005 7:56:51 AM PDT by jveritas (The Left cannot win a national election ever again.)
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To: prairiebreeze
Not Wyatt, somebody named David Chalmers being indicted. May it be just the first of many....

Today is not the first indictments in Oil for Food and yes, there will be more.

12 posted on 04/14/2005 7:57:33 AM PDT by cyncooper
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Bump for Oil for Food indictments press conference.


13 posted on 04/14/2005 8:00:26 AM PDT by cyncooper
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To: jveritas
You missed this one, which brings up his total to the GOP:

CHALMERS, DAVID B HOUSTON,TX 77024 8/25/1992 $1,000 Texas Republican Congressional Cmte
14 posted on 04/14/2005 8:05:34 AM PDT by drjimmy
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To: jveritas
So this guy, David Chalmers, was an outspoken activist-type against the war in Iraq? And donated $2,000.00 to Democrats and only $300.00 to Republicans?
None at all to the George Bush's presidential campaign???
This is a good issue for right wing radio. The MSM will try to spin it to cover for the Democrats, but the truth will get out there slow but sure.
15 posted on 04/14/2005 8:09:40 AM PDT by concerned about politics (Vote Republican - Vote morally correct!)
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To: drjimmy
Looks like his support for Republicans has fallen of in recent years. In order by date....

8/25/1992, CHALMERS, DAVID B HOUSTON,TX 77024 $1,000 Texas Republican Congressional Cmte
6/2/1995, CHALMERS, DAVID B HOUSTON,TX 77002 CORAL OIL AND GAS INC $1,000 Gramm, Phil
6/22/2000, CHALMERS, DAVID HOUSTON,TX 77019 BAY OIL USA $1,000 Democratic Senatorial Campaign Cmte
10/3/2002, CHALMERS, DAVID B AUSTIN,TX 78745 $300 National Republican Congressional Cmte

16 posted on 04/14/2005 8:13:02 AM PDT by The_Victor (Doh!... stupid tagline)
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To: yoely
"The U.S. and other U.N member states have refused to fully cooperate with investigators looking into corruption in the oil-for-food investigation........ "

Huh?

What's going on here?

(never mind, I guess I know the answer).

Leni

17 posted on 04/14/2005 8:17:56 AM PDT by MinuteGal ("The Marines keep coming. We are shooting, but the Marines won't stop !" (Fallujah Terrorists)
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To: concerned about politics
So this guy, David Chalmers, was an outspoken activist-type against the war in Iraq? And donated $2,000.00 to Democrats and only $300.00 to Republicans? None at all to the George Bush's presidential campaign??? This is a good issue for right wing radio. The MSM will try to spin it to cover for the Democrats, but the truth will get out there slow but sure.

You really need to pay more attention. David Chalmers was not an outspoken activist against the Iraq war. The person in post #3 is not David Chalmers, who was indicted today, but Oscar Wyatt. And Chalmers has given $2,300 to Republicans and $1,000 to Democrats.
18 posted on 04/14/2005 8:21:54 AM PDT by drjimmy
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To: drjimmy
The most important point drjimmy that he is did not give a penny in political contributions to George W Bush Bush neither when he was governor of Texas for two terms, nor when he became President for two terms.
19 posted on 04/14/2005 8:32:21 AM PDT by jveritas (The Left cannot win a national election ever again.)
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To: yoely; All

OH OH other shoe dropped I THINK LOL!

BUsted ittt I wonder maybe Annan might be indict if I was one of the perps I think i make a deal with the Feds LOL!


20 posted on 04/14/2005 8:50:38 AM PDT by SevenofNine (Not everybody in, it for truth, justice, and the American way,"=Det Lennie Briscoe)
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