Free Republic

THE second wife of Saddam Hussein and his only surviving son are living in Lebanon under assumed names and receive a telephone call or a letter from the ousted Iraqi dictator at least once a week. Samira Shahbandar, described by those who know Saddam as being the closest to him of his four wives, said in an interview with The Sunday Times that she had been given permission to live in France and expected to move to Paris next month. She said that Saddam, who has a $25m price on his head, gave her $5m in cash and a hoard...

Saddam Hussein ordered Iraq's central bank to withdraw $1 billion for his youngest son the day before the invasion to stop it falling into foreign hands, according to a leaked letter apparently written by the former dictator. In a hand-written note to the bank's governor, marked "top secret" and dated March 19, 2003, the former president told Isam Huwaish to give $920 million and 90 million euros to his son Qusay and another man, al-Mashriq newspaper reported yesterday. The Iraqi national broadsheet reproduced the letter, which appears to bear Saddam's signature. Saddam sent bank a hand-written note Employees of the...