Independent (UK): “How the oil-for-food programme was exploited”

[Nothing Without Hope]

This is part of what Galloway was talking about in his neocon-bashing rebuttal of the attempt to charge him of profiteering in the oil-for-food scandal. How lovely it would be to have the whole criminal cartel actually be held accountable for their massive crimes.

It always comes back to power and greed with these guys. There is no upper limit to what they grasp for and no lower limit to the sickening crimes they will commit to get it. The level of hypocrisy is truly stunning.

LET'S FRY THEIR MURDEROUS, LYING, CHEATING BUTTS!!! The truth of what they have done must be exposed.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/story.jsp?story=639335

How the oil-for-food programme was exploited

By Rupert Cornwell
18 May 2005

The riveting confrontation yesterday between George Galloway and the Congressional panel probing the scandal of the United Nations oil-for-food programme for Iraq proves one thing - that few emerge with any credit in the maelstrom left by Saddam Hussein's elaborate scheme to smuggle oil, enrich himself and grease the palms of potential allies abroad and at the UN.

Over the last five days, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee for Investigations has issued three reports on the scandal, showing how Saddam reaped over $10bn manipulating Iraq's oil sales for the seven years it operated, between 1996 and 2003.

(snip)

In sheer terms of money however, the third report, issued by the Democratic minority on the Committee alone, is even more shocking. It alleges that the US government turned a blind eye as Bayoil, a Texas oil company, imported Iraqi oil and paid $37m of kickbacks to the Saddam regime. Also, as a member of the Security Council, Washington did nothing to prevent Saddam selling oil worth a claimed $8bn, to Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Turkey, in violation of sanctions.

(snip)

The US government not only did not try to stop the shipments, Mr Levin's report said. "It appears to have facilitated them," despite widespread recognition that they were "a blatant violation" of sanctions, and an alert from the UN itself in mid-2001 that Bayoil could be abusing the oil-for-food programme.

(snip)

There is a great deal more in this article and I recommend reading all of it.

Another aspect of the Bayoil scandals, reported in the Houston Chronicle, is discussed in this thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1478823
Thread title: “Democrats tie BayOil to Iraq's purchase of bombs”

[knowbody0]

1. and isn't Bayoil a sub of halliburton

[Nothing Without Hope]

4. No, not directly. Bayoil isn't an oil company at all, but rather a sleazy

middleman broker who made deals around the world, especially with some Russians. But there was so much money, so many bribes, so much bought cooperation - you know the loop is closed somewhere along the line.

[paineinthearse]

2. LET'S FRY THEIR MURDEROUS, LYING, CHEATING BUTTS!!!

How?

:shrug:

[Nothing Without Hope]

3. By pushing to keep these scandals in sight instead of allowing them

to bury them. The American public is increasingly aware of the corruption that underlies the Bush administration in general and Halliburton - which has become a sort of code term for war profiteering - in particular. It really is the antithesis of the "moral values" or "culture of life" that they brag about; it really is money for blood. This makes it anathema to their RW fundie supporters too - maybe not the cynical leaders, but the rank-and-file.

This is a scandal that is believable. Unlike the thefts of the 2000 and 2004 elections, unlike the complicity in the 9/11 attacks, people will be willing to believe this.

[Nothing Without Hope]

5. kick n/t

[Nothing Without Hope]

6. Also see this excellent Kos diary entry from two days ago:

http://lobaluna.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/16/33630/4540
Title: "Houston Company Described as "Puppeteer" in Iraq Oil-For-Food Corruption"

Interesting info in replies as well as in the opening post. For example:

For example, this NYT article from last month is linked to as a reminder that Tongsun Park, a Moonie affiliate, was also a big player in the oil-for-food scandal. Since Judith Miller, a GOP mouthpiece, is a coauthor of the NYT article, I suspect this part of the story was aimed more at fingering UN officials and "disposable" US players NOT directly affiliated with Halliburton et al. Nonetheless, it's interesting as background for the more recent disclosures:

http://tinyurl.com/bubf5

Oil-for-Food Scandal Broadens With New Charges

By JULIA PRESTON
and JUDITH MILLER
Published: April 14, 2005 (New York Times)

Dramatically broadening the scandal surrounding the United Nations Oil-for-Food program, federal authorities in New York today charged David B. Chalmers, a Houston oil trader, and his company, Bayoil, with making millions of dollars in illegal kickback payments to Iraq while trading oil under the program.

Separate charges were brought against Tongsun Park, a South Korean businessman who figured in a Washington influence-peddling scandal some 30 years ago, accusing him of acting as an unregistered agent for Iraq in behind-the-scenes negotiations in the United States to set up and administer the program.

The authorities charge that Mr. Park received at least $4 million in secret payments from the government of Saddam Hussein for serving as a liaison between Iraqi and United Nations officials.

(snip)

Mr. Chalmers and Bayoil were accused of making deals to trade Iraqi oil knowing that Mr. Hussein's regime had imposed an illegal secret surcharge on all oil purchases after 2000. Mr. Chalmers is charged with devising a plan with Iraqi officials to artificially deflate the official price of Iraqi oil, which was determined by United Nations monitors, so that traders could pay the illegal surcharge to the regime and still reap profits on the sales.

(snip)

edited to add NYT link

[Nothing Without Hope]

7. another related thread here, based on WaPo article:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1791242
Thread title: "Bayoil - Bayoil - Bayoil did sneaky business with Iraq - kickbacks"

[paineinthearse]

8. Morning kick - DU'ers, this is a must-read post

How come it is not being read?

:shrug:

[Karenina]

10. Well, we'll jes

:kick: 'til dey do!!! :kick:

[realFedUp]

9. kick

if its any consolation...no one
in America really cares about this
issue, which is irritating to
Norm Coleman, but just another distraction
from Bush Inc.'s crimes and lies.

[Nothing Without Hope]

11. kick! n/t

[Karenina]

14. Did anyone forget to read this?

:kick: just in case.

[Nothing Without Hope]

12. This is important - if they control space, they control COMMUNICATION

as well as the powers to maintain serveillance and attack anyone they please.

Think: Big Brother In The Sky - WITH NUKES

[Nothing Without Hope]

13. kick n/t