Friday, May 21, 2004

ABCNEWS.com : U.N. Officials Bribed by Saddam?

ABCNEWS.com : U.N. Officials Bribed by Saddam?
The inquiries into the United Nations Oil-for-Food program result from the release in January of a list of 270 individuals, companies and institutions that allegedly received lucrative oil contracts from Saddam Hussein's former regime in return for political support.

The list was published by an Iraqi independent newspaper which claimed the document was discovered in the files of the former Iraqi Oil Ministry in Baghdad.

Oil vouchers were allegedly given either as gifts or as payment for goods imported into Iraq in violation of the U.N. sanctions.

The following are the names of some of those listed as receiving Iraqi oil contracts (amounts are in millions of barrels of oil) ...

The article makes a plausible case for severe wrongdoing by senior UN officials, but it also lists those who received contracts from a range of nations.

It's an interesting list, especially the French, Russian, and Indonesian members.

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