Posted on 10/26/2005 9:18:12 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
UNITED NATIONS - More than 2,000 companies made about $1.8 billion in illicit payments to Saddam Hussein's government through extensive manipulation of the U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq, according to key findings of a U.N.-backed investigation.
The report — to be released in full Thursday by the committee probing claims of wrongdoing in the $64 billion program — indicates that about half the 4,500 companies doing business with Iraq paid illegal surcharges on oil purchases or kickbacks on contracts to supply humanitarian goods.
The investigators reported that companies and individuals from 66 countries paid illegal kickbacks through a variety of devices while those paying illegal oil surcharges came from, or were registered in, 40 countries. The names will be included in Thursday's report but were not in the key findings that were obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.
Thursday's final report of the investigation led by former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker strongly criticizes the U.N. Secretariat and Security Council for failing to monitor the program and allowing the emergence of front companies and international trading concerns prepared to make illegal payments.
According to the findings, the Banque Nationale de Paris S.A., known as BNP, which held the U.N. oil-for-food escrow account, had a dual role and did not disclose fully to the United Nations the firsthand knowledge it acquired about the financial relationships that fostered the payment of illegal surcharges.
The oil-for-food program was one of the world's largest humanitarian aid operations, running from 1996-2003.
Under the program, Iraq was allowed to sell limited and then unlimited quantities of oil provided most of the money went to buy humanitarian goods. It was launched to help ordinary Iraqis cope with U.N. sanctions imposed after Saddam's 1990 invasion of Kuwait and became a lifeline for 90 percent of the country's population of 26 million.
But Saddam, who could choose the buyers of Iraqi oil and the sellers of humanitarian goods, corrupted the program by awarding contracts to — and getting kickbacks from — favored buyers, mostly parties who supported his regime or opposed the sanctions. He allegedly gave former government officials, journalists and U.N. officials vouchers for Iraqi oil that could then be resold at a profit.
Volcker's previous report, released in September, said lax U.N. oversight allowed Saddam's regime to pocket $1.8 billion in kickbacks in the awarding of contracts during the program's operation from 1997-2003.
The smuggling of Iraqi oil outside the program in violation of U.N. sanctions poured much more money — $11 billion — into Saddam's coffers during the same period, according to a finding in the new report.
The report to be released Thursday chronicles in detail Saddam's manipulation of the program and examines in detail 23 companies that paid kickbacks on humanitarian contracts including Iraqi front companies, major food providers, major trading companies, and major industrial and manufacturing companies.
According to the findings, the program was just under three years old when the Iraqi regime began openly demanding illicit payments from its customers. The report said that while U.N. officials and the Security Council were informed, little action was taken.
Former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker speaks to members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about United Nations reform on Captiol Hill October 18, 2005. Volcker uncovered widespread corruption and wrongdoing as chairman of the Independent Inquiry Committee into the UN Oil-for-Food Programme. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
bttt
Cheers!
George Galloway and Former French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua
Photo dated March 1992 shows Jean-Bernard Merimee at the United Nations in New York. Merimee -- France's former representative at the UN Security Council -- was taken into custody by a judge investigating corruption linked to the Iraqi 'oil-for-food' programme.(AFP/File/Don Emmert)
French magistrate Philippe Courroye arrives at the financial magistrates' court in Paris, October 12, 2005 where police are detaining Jean-Bernard Merimee, a former French ambassador to the U.N. Security Council for questioning. Police have detained Merimee for questioning in a corruption inquiry over the U.N.-run oil-for-food program in Iraq, a judicial source said on Tuesday. Merimee was taken in by police on Monday over allegations he may have benefited from oil supplies allocated under the program by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, the source said. REUTERS/Franck Prevel
Thanks. BTTT!
Oh yeah, Saddam's a bad bad man, but what about Kofi's role in this? It seems this report is strangely lacking in this regard.
Oh yeah, Saddam's a bad bad man, but what about Kofi's role in this? It seems this report is strangely lacking in this regard.
2,000 firms....boy Saddam had lots of friends!
Click the image to access the FR archives re: the Oil-FoR-Food scandal threads.
It looks like the same Frog with less hair and the same but older tie.
This data might be used by the New Iraqi government to try a bunch of greedy SOBs for war crimes.
This money that went to Saddam, enabled him to kill a lot of innocent Iraqis.
How many Iraqis have been killed by suicide bombers whose bombs were bought by this money?
May these bastards go to jail, then go to Iraq and be tried for fiancing the terror of Saddam
UPDATED article now includes 4 additional paragraphs.
Click link to view the entire article with updates..
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051027/ap_on_re_us/un_oil_for_food;_ylt=Apw_zYyFQM4FbOrpR8v3pgOs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--
Tracing the politicization of oil contracts, the new report said Iraqi leaders in the late 1990s decided to deny American, British and Japanese companies allocations to purchase oil because of their countries' opposition to lifting sanctions on Iraq. At the same time, it said, Iraq gave preferential treatment to France, Russia and China which were perceived to be more favorable to lifting sanctions and were also permanent members of the Security Council.
----
According to the new findings, Iraq's largest source of illicit income from the oil-for-food program was the more than $1.5 billion from kickbacks on humanitarian contracts.
----
Volcker's Independent Inquiry Committee calculated that more than 2,200 companies worldwide paid kickbacks to Iraq in the form of "fees" for transporting goods to the interior of the country or "after-sales-service" fees, or both.
----
The report is the fifth by Volcker and wraps up a year-long, $34 million investigation that has faulted Secretary-General Kofi Annan, his deputy, Canada's Louise Frechette, and the Security Council for tolerating corruption and doing little to stop Saddam's manipulations. The investigation also accused Benon Sevan, the former head of the U.N. oil-for-food program, of taking $147,000 in illegal kickbacks.
Not surprised at all. No wonder they didn't want to invade IRaq and turn off the supply from this fat cash cow. Also happy to see Louise Frechette named as a principal. And Norm Coleman is my hero. Galloway is a dangerous joke.
But what will actually come of this? I don't expect much.
Better than nothing I suppose. I hope Sen. Norm Coleman raises a ruckus if he believes the UN report glossed over anybody.
Saddam was also using these funds to buy missiles to shoot at American and Brit fighter planes from the no fly zone. And nasty little WMD's for his pantry.
Second Pic: "Listen you putz, I told you 'Cinq" million francs goes into my account tomorrow or you'll find yourself sweeping the U.N. heads tomorrow." Third Pic: "Okay, Godfather. I took care of it."
Considering the extent of the companies, countries and individuals involved, I think this investigation has moved along at a very rapid pace. Probably a little too rapid. Hard to believe all the guilty parties have been identified.
I guess we won't wait for the people responsible for those companies doing business illegally with Iraq to be charged.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.