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The publication yesterday of Paul Volcker's fifth and final report on the U.N.'s Oil for Food program tells us little we didn't know about the broad outlines of the $100 billion scandal. But, oh, are the details ever instructive. The Volcker report confirms that Saddam Hussein demanded, and got, some $1.8 billion in illegal surcharges, kickbacks and bribes from companies doing business in Iraq. It confirms that he steered billions in oil and humanitarian contracts to his politically preferred clients, particularly Russia and France, and smaller sums to agents of influence (or their associates) such as British MP George Galloway,...

On 9 November, a 38-year old Belgian named Muriel, blew herself to pieces in Baghdad near a group of Iraqi policemen, killing five other people. The woman had converted to Islam after marrying a Belgian of Moroccon origin. Her husband was shot down by American troops. The American authorities informed the Belgian authorities of the woman’s identity a few weeks ago, but Brussels kept it secret. Yesterday evening the Franco-Luxemburgian network RTL announced the news. Last night, the Belgian police arrested 14 people. Nine of them are Belgians, mostly of foreign origin, three are Moroccans and two are Tunisians. They...

Europeans deny oil-for-food payoffs Senate panel alleges two gave support to Hussein for vouchers By John Leicester Associated Press May 13, 2005 PARIS -- Two European politicians on Thursday adamantly denied accusations from a U.S. Senate committee that Saddam Hussein's regime allocated them millions of barrels of Iraqi oil in exchange for their support. The denials came a day after the committee investigating corruption in the United Nations oil-for-food program released new evidence purporting to show that the two politicians, British lawmaker George Galloway and former French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua, received vouchers for Iraqi oil in exchange for supporting...

Probe to blow lid off massive U.N. scandal Documents prove oil-for-food corruption involving world leaders Editor's note: WorldNetDaily is pleased to have a content-sharing agreement with Insight magazine, the bold Washington publication not afraid to ruffle establishment feathers. Subscribe to Insight at WorldNetDaily's online store and save 71 percent off the cover price. By Kenneth R. Timmerman © 2004 Insight/News World Communications Inc. A team of international forensic investigators is preparing to blow the lid off the much-disputed U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq and will present new evidence of corruption at an upcoming congressional hearing that directly will implicate world...

Charles Pasqua, a former French minister of the interior, has emerged as one of the highest-ranking targets of the widening investigations into the Iraq oil-for-food scandal. United Nations, US and French investigators are examining Iraqi documents that show Mr Pasqua instructed officials in Baghdad to transfer lucrative oil allocations to an offshore company in order to shield him from criticism. Mr Pasqua's alleged involvement has emerged as inquiries turn to the role of foreign governments in the corruption within the humanitarian aid programme. France and Russia, which opposed the 2003 invasion, have long been accused in the US of being...

Charles Pasqua, a former French minister of interior, has emerged as one of the highest-ranking targets of the widening investigations into the Iraq oil-for-food scandal. United Nations, US and French investigators are examining Iraqi documents that show officials in Baghdad were instructed to transfer his lucrative oil allocations to an offshore company, to shield him from criticism. Mr Pasqua's alleged role has emerged as inquiries turn to the role of foreign governments in the corruption within the humanitarian aid programme. France and Russia, which opposed the 2003 invasion, have long been accused in the US of being too close to...

A prominent French politician fingered as a recipient of bribes in Iraq's Oil-for-Food scandal insists that he's not guilty of anything — but that other leading French figures might be. "I have never received any gifts from the Iraqi government," said former French interior minister Charles Pasqua, after the CIA's Duelfer report identified him as receiving eleven million barrels of oil in exchange for promoting policies favorable to Iraq. Pasqua then switched to speaking about himself in the third person, Bob Dole-style, and said that others may not be so innocent: "Charles Pasqua is not involved, but maybe other former...

Scandal: A great debate has raged over why so many of the world's major countries suddenly went all weak in the knees when the U.S. went after Saddam Hussein. A new CIA report makes the reason clear, and it isn't pretty. The report by Charles Duelfer, chief weapons inspector of the Iraq Survey Group, sketches out in plain language what could be the biggest bribery scandal of the last century — one that reaches into the highest political circles. It makes for shocking reading. It shows how Saddam evaded U.N. sanctions from 1997 to 2003 by illicitly selling oil through...

WASHINGTON (AFP) - France complained to the United States over accusations that French nationals and businesses took bribes from Iraqmade in a report by the chief US weapons inspector. The French embassy approached the White House and the US State Department to express anger at the way the allegations were made public. "The ambassador told the White House and the State Department of our displeasure concerning the methods used," an embassy official told AFP. The official said France was particularly unhappy about "the fact that the names of individuals and companies were made public without any apparent attempt to verify...