Iraq oil cash funded MPs' campaigns (GALLOWAY!)

Guardian ^ | 02/17/04 | David Leigh and David Pallister

[Pikamax]

Iraq oil cash funded MPs' campaigns

Businessmen handed on money illicitly siphoned from UN deals to pressure groups run by George Galloway and Tam Dalyell

David Leigh and David Pallister Tuesday February 17, 2004 The Guardian

Money illicitly siphoned from the UN oil-for-food programme by Saddam Hussein was used to finance anti-sanctions campaigns run by British politicians, according to documents that have surfaced in Baghdad. Undercover cash from oil deals went to three businessmen who in turn supported pressure groups involving the ex-Labour MP George Galloway, Labour MP Tam Dalyell, and the former Irish premier Albert Reynolds, it is alleged in documents compiled by the oil ministry, which is now under the control of the US occupation regime.

Separately, a dossier from the oil ministry in Baghdad has been handed by the British Foreign Office to Customs and Excise, which has been asked to investigate. They were also referred to the Cabinet Office because of their political sensitivity.

"The government has been given copies of certain documents [from Iraq]," a Foreign Office spokeswoman said yesterday. "They are being passed to the appropriate authorities for consideration."

Two of the three businessmen involved in UK campaigns, Burhan al-Chalabi and Riad al-Tajir, were based in Surrey; the other, Fawwaz Zureikat, a Jordanian entrepreneur, had offices in London.

Mr Chalabi and Mr Zureikat gave money to the Mariam Appeal, run by Mr Galloway, the MP confirmed. Mr Tahir said he ran another anti-sanctions campaign called Friendship Across Borders, which had Mr Dalyell as its official patron and organised visits to Baghdad by supportive politicians.

The three businessmen are alleged to have received money from Saddam via oil allocations. They sold the oil rights on at a profit of more than $1m (about £530,000), in an exploitation by Saddam of loopholes in the UN's then oil-for-food programme.

Mr Tahir agrees he profited from the oil deals. Mr Chalabi refuses to comment. Mr Zureikat confirmed to Agence France Presse in Jordan last week that he had made the oil deals.

The oil-for-food programme was set up in 1995 amid fears of a humanitarian disaster after the first Gulf war. Under the scheme, Saddam was allowed to sell limited quantities of oil to pay for food and medicine for the Iraqi people.

The contents of the new documents shed light on Mr Galloway's libel battle with the Daily Telegraph. Last year newspaper reports based on purported Iraqi intelligence files led to him being accused of receiving an annual £375,000 in secret personal payments from Saddam.

Our investigations in Iraq, New York, Paris, Moscow and London indicate the new British-related documents are authentic, although their meaning is not always clear.

These files do not implicate Mr Galloway in personal corruption. Nor do they suggest that Mr Dalyell and Mr Reynolds, who always paid their own way, had any knowledge of what was going on.

Mr Galloway said he was unaware that his financial sponsors were getting oil cash from the UN programme. But he accepts that he knew his supporters had links with Saddam's regime, and regarded that as an inevitable price to pay.

Despite their importance in the bitter Galloway controversy, the contract documents seem unlikely to surface in the pending libel trial.

The so-called oil list has already caused worldwide embarrassment, with allegations made against prominent people and companies in France, Russia, Switzerland and South Africa, as well as employees at the UN.

Across the world, some of those named agree the lists seem authentic. Others deny it, or say details are exaggerated.

[GeronL]

hahaha

bye bye Mr.Galloway... I hope the british find a nice gulag for ya

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

Corrupt politicians. Do they come any other way?

BTW, what the hell is an MP?

[GiveEmDubya]

Member of Parliament

[ambrose]

Any bets on whether the pro-Saddam contingent in the US Congress were getting kickbacks as well?

[McGavin999]

I don't know, but they've been very, very quiet lately.

[ghost of nixon]

the ultimate in cool, would be for documents implicating top Democrats opposed to the war to turn up "conveniently" close to the election

[RandallFlagg]

Here's the whole list found in Iraq.

[CommandoFrank]

I'm voting for Kerry because he said he would unite all these countries that were scarfing up the payola under the counter from Saddam.

I wonder how he's going to do that?

Did you know Kerry served in Vietnam?

[GeronL]

See this flash animation...

http://www.jonathangullible.com/mmedia/PhilosophyOfLiberty-english_music.swf

[The G Man]

I'm guessing they don't execute traitors in Great Britain, do they?

[mewzilla]

Well, well, well...I bet Galloway and Dalyell weren't the only MPs to get some of this money. Seems to me I recall a list of around a dozen MPs sucking up to Saddamn before the war, even making a trip to Iraq.

[mewzilla]

Why bomb when you can blackmail...?

Which is why character does count.

[Cap Huff]

There will likely be more on this very soon. There seems to be an AFP release somewhere. This is the only reference I've seen today to the report:

"Results of Saddam’s oil bribe probe to be made public"
BAGHDAD: Iraqi Oil Minister Ibrahim Bahr al-Ulum said on Monday he would soon make public the results of his investigation into the alleged oil bribes handed out to foreign political figures by former leader Saddam Hussein.

"I will soon present a detailed report including all the elements I have gathered so that everybody knows the truth in this affair," the minister told AFP.

>>snip<<

http://www.hipakistan.com/en/detail.php?newsId=en54225&F_catID=&f_type=source

[Grampa Dave]

fyi

More on the Oil for Food scam where the blood $'s were used to bribe politicians around the world and mediots around the world to support the $oddomites.

[driftless]

Let's see... they claim that these documents, which the Guardian says are thoroughly legitimate, do not mean that Galloway was himself corrupt even though he knew that his financial sponsors had ties to Hussein. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, (excuse me, I have to catch my breath), ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,

[thinktwice]

Mr Chalabi refuses to comment

Is this the same Mr Chalabi that is among candidates for leading Iraq's future government?

If so, I smell ... setup!

[mewzilla]

Bosom buds.

The pic's from this link with a story on Galloway's trip to Iraq.

[mewzilla]

Here's another pic of Galloway with his good buddy Tariq Azia...

Doesn't always help to have low friends in high places, though, does it?

[evad]

Heh heh..
turns out the only two not on this list were Bush and Cheney ;-)

[XHogPilot]

bump

[evad]

Did you know Kerry served in Vietnam?

Turns out that may be a rumor.

His 'body' was in Viet Nam but we don't know for sure that 'he' was in Viet Nam.
In any event, it depends on the definition of "served" ;-)

[MizSterious]

There are some documents already showing that McDermott and a couple others took donations from someone on the list of 270 recipients of Saddam's bribes. It's indirect, but pretty damning.

[Allan]

The next thing that's coming. Which UN officials got 'Oil for Food' money.

Anyone want to guess?

[beckett]

First time I have seen Albert Reynolds' name associated with Saddam. A big blow to his prestige.

[Grampa Dave]

Mewzilla has posted some very interesting photos of the UK Traitor and abettor of the mass murderer, the $oddomite.

Tony should order the UK Marines to wrap this traitor and ship him to Iraq to be tried with his buddy, the $oddomite.

Slime like Galloway around the world enabled the $oddomite to stay in power and to continue to kill innocent Iraqis. Typical lunatic lib behavior when it comes their love/lust for dictators. Another example of how money can buy anything from a lunatic lib.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Dallas Cowboy apologist commie pinko

[Grampa Dave]

Koffee Anananon for sure.

WMD inspectors for sure.

Scott Ritter for sure!

[Zack Nguyen]

LOL.

[FBD]

Thanks for the ping to this Dave.

I also wonder:

Could George SorA$$ be possibly connected to Iraqi oil money? He has a buddy in a Russian oil company...

[Grampa Dave]

You can bet that George $oreA$$ was/is up to his $$ in bribes, kick backs and other payments to keep his buddy $oddomite alive.

[The Old Hoosier]

Maybe he can defect to North Korea.

[Lunatic Fringe]

under the control of the US occupation regime

Interesting choice of words....

[BOBTHENAILER]

Tony should order the UK Marines to wrap this traitor and ship him to Iraq to be tried with his buddy, the $oddomite.

Great thread here. I agree with your proposed handling of the traitor Galloway.

[spacewarp]

Only with their food and forcing them to watch BBC for hours on end. Eventually, the brain just shuts off and dies. Then the body with it.

[tjwmason]

I'm guessing they don't execute traitors in Great Britain, do they?

Unfortunately not. The relevant Treason Act does prescribe hanging for High Treason against the Crown, however, in the late '90s the Blair government incorporated the 'European Convention on Human Rights' into English law, to do this an undertaking was made that any capital sentence would be automatically commuted to life-imprisonment. It's all a long way from the days of being hanged, drawn and quartered.

Execution, in reality, ended in the late '60s; the same time as abortion and homosexual practice were legalised, and divorce made a damn lot easier. Many of our anarcho-leftists consider these four to be the greatest victories for the left. Of course, the vast majority of the British public are in favour of capital punishment.

[mewzilla]

And ther's always the Tower...

[tjwmason]

And ther's always the Tower...

The Tower was actually used as a gaol during the second world war; 900 years and still in service. It also holds the oldest part of the British Military, the Yeoman Warders were founded in 1585.

[mewzilla]

We've toured it twice :) I'd say you could make someone pretty uncomfortable there. Heh heh heh...

[norraad]

"Hangin's too good for them!"

More good old "cap" punishment is worth a try here ( at least give it a trial run ).

[agrarianlady]

Corrupt politicians. Do they come any other way? BTW, what the hell is an MP?

I highly recommend to you the Yes, Prime Minister series. It's British Comedy divided up into 1/2 hour shows. I found it to be hysterically funny as it's all about corrupt British politicians. The funny lines in it are relevant to things going on today. I rented them from Netflix.

[Khan Noonian Singh]

What do these documents say about US politicians on the take? It would be politically much harder for the US government to reveal this.

Do we need a FOIA request? The UK scandal has been growing for some time, but there's nothing on the Demos here? LOL, hard to believe!

[piasa]

Democrats are experts at taking bribes- they do so indirectly. Look for the name of the Iraqi-American lobbyist al-Khafagi aka al-Khafaji on the list and you should find it there receiving oil from old Saddam. That's the individual who paid off Ritter, and also Cynthia McKinney and McDermott and...?

If there is an Elgindy's on there, take notice- I haven't gone through the entire list, but I would be amused if there's an Elgindy on it.

[piasa]

Is this the same Mr Chalabi that is among candidates for leading Iraq's future government?

No.

[piasa]

FEBRUARY 1996 : (UK LABOUR MP GALLOWAY FLIES TO MOROCCO ON BEHALF OF AL-FAGIH TO MEET CROWN PRINCE OF MOROCCO) In February 1996, UK Labour MP George Galloway flew to Morocco for a secret meeting with the then Crown Prince of Morocco to explore a deal between the Islamic Saudi dissidents [such as British-based Saudi dissident Saad al-Fagih, an Islamic fundamentalist who purchased a satellite phone used by al-Qaeda in Afghanistan] and the Saudi royal family. - "MP may be tried as traitor (Galloway)," by Antony Barnett and Martin Bright, The Observer (U.K.) , 04/27/03

[piasa]

1998 : (UK LABOUR MP GALLOWAY'S 'MIRIAM CAMPAIGN' BEGINS) Fawaz Abdullah Zureikat : Businessman. UK Labour MP George Galloway appointed him to the MP's Miriam campaign, which began in 1998.- "The King of Cuba (GALLOWAY!)," News of the World , April 27, 2003 (* unfamiliar source, use grain of salt?)

1998 : (UK LABOUT MP HELPS FOUND THE MARIAM APPEAL) But I do know a few things about George Galloway and the cause he championed with regards to Iraq. I know that he helped found the Mariam Appeal, a humanitarian organisation established in 1998 initially to raise funds on behalf of an Iraqi girl who suffered from leukaemia and who, because of economic sanctions, was unable to receive adequate medical care. - "Galloway's a crook - how convenient, " by Scott "shorteyes" Ritter, The Guardian , Friday April 25, 2003

DECEMBER 25, 1999 : (UK LABOUT MP GALLOWAY SPENDS CHRISTMAS WITH IRAQI OFFICIAL TARIQ AZIZ) - Source Galloway, on Radio 4 program "On the Ropes." on June 17, 2003 according to the story "I was in Iraq on day alleged in memos, admits Galloway," By Sally Pook, Daily Telegraph - UK, June 18, 2003

DECEMBER 26, 1999 : (BOXING DAY HOLIDAY : UK LABOUR MP GALLOWAY WAS IN IRAQ, MET WITH IRAQI INTELLIGENCE AGENT OVER GALLOWAY'S CUT OF THE OIL FOR FOOD PROGRAM) One of the documents [found by the UK Telegraph in Iraq in 2003] was a memorandum suggesting that on Boxing Day 1999 Mr Galloway met an Iraqi intelligence agent in Baghdad and laid out his demands for a larger slice of the revenue from the sale of three million barrels of oil every six months. It also purported to show him as asking for "exceptional" commercial opportunities. Saddam Hussein's office rejected these alleged requests for more money, explaining that they were unaffordable. -"I was in Iraq on day alleged in memos, admits Galloway," By Sally Pook, Daily Telegraph - UK, June 18, 2003

SEPTEMBER 14, 2001 Friday (UK : GALLOWAY MAKES "10,000 BIN LADENS" PLEA AGAINST ASSAULT ON AFGHANISTAN) : During an emergency debate in the House of Commons, Labour MP George Galloway issues an impassioned warning against an all-out assault on Afghanistan, warning that such action could create "10,000 Osama bin Ladens". http://www.guardian.co.uk/wtccrash/story/0,1300,554018,00.html

APRIL 22, 2003 : (DOCUMENTS FOUND IN IRAQ INDICATE GALLOWAY WAS BRIBED) - "Galloway was in Saddam's pay, say secret Iraqi documents"

APRIL 25, 2003 : (GALLOWAY FUND TO BE INVESTIGATED) - "Galloway fund to face inquiry"

APRIL 27, 2003 : (GALLOWAY IN HOT WATER)George Galloway, the anti-war Labour MP who is suing over allegations he secretly took money from Saddam Hussein, faces the prospect of a criminal prosecution for treachery. The Observer can reveal that the Director of Public Prosecutions is considering pursuing the Glasgow politician for comments during the Iraq war when he called on British troops not to fight. In an interview with Abu Dhabi TV during the Iraq conflict, Galloway said: 'The best thing British troops can do is to refuse to obey illegal orders.' Lawyers for service personnel claim his call for soldiers to disobey what he called 'illegal orders' amount to a breach of the Incitement to Disaffection Act 1934. The maximum penalty is two years in jail. Galloway's calls for British troops to disobey orders came during the TV interview in which he described Tony Blair and George Bush as 'wolves' for embarking on military action. After Galloway made the comments on Abu Dhabi TV, Hugheston-Roberts wrote to the DPP asking him to prosecute or allow a private prosecution to be brought. - "MP may be tried as traitor (Galloway))," by Antony Barnett and Martin Bright, The Observer (U.K.) , 04/27/03

MAY 31, 2003 : (GALLOWAY SUSPENDED) - "Suspended Galloway criticises party ban"

JUNE 5, 2003 : (REPORT : LEFTWINGERS FIGHT TO REINSTATE GALLOWAY)