U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs |
Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations |
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Title: Oil For Influence: How Saddam Used Oil to Reward Politicians Under the United Nations Oil-for-Food Program |
Date: 5/17/05 |
Time (EST): 9:30 AM |
Place: Dirksen Senate Office Building, Rm. 106 |
This hearing originally scheduled to be held in room SD-562 will now be held in room SD-106. The May 17th hearing will be third hearing the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations has held on the United Nations Oil-for-Food Program (OFF Program). The Subcommittees first hearing on the OFF Program laid the foundation for future hearings by describing how the OFF Program was exploited by Saddam Hussein. A second hearing examined the operations of the independent inspection agents retained by the United Nations in the OFF Program and examined issues related to inadequate management, audit, and procurement oversight. The hearing also examined issues related to why the U.S. and U.N. did not interfere with Iraq's open exports of oil to Jordan and Turkey, in violation of U.N. sanctions. The May 17th hearing will detail how Saddam Hussein manipulated the OFF Program to win influence and reward friends in order to undermine sanctions. In particular, this hearing will present evidence detailing how Saddam rewarded foreign officials with lucrative oil allocations that could be converted to money. The hearing will also examine the illegal surcharges paid on Iraqi oil sales, using examples involving the recently indicted U.S. company, Bayoil. In addition, more detailed information will be provided on the nature and extent of the 2003 Khor al-Amaya incident in which oil tankers loaded a large amount of Iraqi oil circumventing U.N. sanctions. To view the PSI Staff reports click on the OFF Reports link below and scroll down to the Related Files section. |
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Hearing File: OFF Reports |
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Witnesses |
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Panel 1
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Mark L. Greenblatt , Counsel , U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations |
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Steven A. Groves , Counsel , U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations |
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Dan M. Berkovitz , Counsel to the Minority , U. S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations |
Panel 2
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George Galloway , Member of Parliament for Bethnal Green and Bow , Great Britain |
Panel 3
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Thomas A. Schweich , Chief of Staff, U.S. Mission to the United Nations , U. S. Department of State |
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Robert W. Werner , Director, Office of Foreign Assets Control , U. S. Department of the Treasury |
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Peter Reddaway , Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Affairs , George Washington University |
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