Iraq scandal taints 2,000 firms

More than 2,000 firms linked to the UN oil-for-food programme in Iraq were involved in making illicit payments to the Iraqi government, a report says.

It found Saddam Hussein received $1.8bn (£1bn) from firms including Daimler Chrysler and Volvo, and it also named individuals said to have benefited.

Paul Volcker, who led the inquiry, said corruption would not have been so pervasive had there been better discipline by UN management and he emphasised the need for wide-ranging UN reforms.

This is the fifth and final report into the $60bn (£32bn) programme, which was set up to ease the effect of sanctions on Iraq following the invasion in Kuwait.

Companies buying oil at cut prices would funnel extra money to Iraq through "surcharges" while those receiving money from Iraq for humanitarian goods and services would return a portion in "kickbacks", the report found.

More than half of the 4,500 companies - from 60 countries - involved in the oil-for-food programme paid kickbacks or surcharges to the Iraqi government, Mr Volcker reported.

Other prominent names on the list include German manufacturing giant Siemens, the construction arm of the Swedish group Volvo and the German-US car firm Daimler Chrysler - which made relatively small payments, amounting to a few thousand dollars.

Individuals named in the report include a former French UN ambassador, Jean-Bernard Merrimee, who has admitted receiving one oil allocation only.

Russian parliamentarian Vladimir Zhirinovsky and British MP George Galloway are also both named but have denied the allegations.


PROMINENT NAMED FIRMS:

Daimler Chrysler AG, Germany
Siemens, Germany
Volvo, Sweden
Daewoo, South Korea
Wier Group, UK
Bayoil, US

Source:
News BBC

The Final Report about the Oil-for-Food Programme (or better, Oil4Food Scandal) is out, blaming around 2000 companies from 60 countries from around the World for Corruption.

What I find most Sickening here, is that during all these years of Blockade, Saddam received enormous ammounts of Money from all sides, and there were tens of thousands people dying, under the Umbrella of United Nations.

Just prooves one thing: that Corruption is present in ALL circles of power, in all states on the world, including the Council of United Nations.


Related Links:

Full Report on Programme Maniuplation in .pdf

Annan accepts oil-for-food lapses

Oil-for-food chief 'took bribes'

Timeline: Oil-for-food scandal

Originally posted by Souljah


Full Report on Programme Maniuplation in .pdf

That is a summary (8 pages)

Here is the Final Report issued by The Independent Inquiry Committee:

Manipulation of the Oil-For-Food Programme By The Iraqi Regime

Oil Transactions and Illicit Payments

Humanitarian Goods Transactions and Illicit Payments

The Escrow Bank and the Inspection Companies

Other UN Related Issues

October 27, 2005

Report on the Manipulation of the Oil-for-Food Programme (27 October 2005)

Cover and Table of Contents (110 KB)

Chapter I - Summary of the Report on Manipulation (605 KB)

Chapter II - Oil Transactions and Illicit Payments (5.5 MB)

Chapter III - Humanitarian Goods Transactions and Illicit Payments (5.4 KB)

Chapter IV - The Escrow Bank and Conflicting Interests (443 KB)

Chapter V - The Inspection Companies (1.3 MB)

Chapter VI - Review of Secretary-General Boutros-Ghali Bank Accounts (240 KB)

Chapter VII - Issues Relating to Activities of Humanitarian Coordinators (125 KB)

Appendices (3.0 MB)

The complete Report is also available as a single file (16 MB)


Committee Tables (27 October 2005)

Explanation of Committee Tables (67KB)

Table I - Oil Allocations and Sales Summary by Contracting Company (115KB)

Table II - Oil Sales Summary by Contracting Company and Contract (115KB)

Table II - Oil Sales Summary by Contracting Company and Contract (200KB)

Table III - Summary of Oil Sales by Non-Contractual Beneficiary (220KB)

Table IV - Known Underlying Oil Financiers (160KB)

Table V - Surcharge Payments Associated with a Contracting Company (739KB)

Table VI - Humanitarian Goods Purchased by the Government of Iraq by Supplier (895KB)

Table VII - Actual and Projected Illicit Payments on Contracts for Humanitarian Goods - Summary by Supplier (847KB)

Table VIII - Actual and Projected Illicit Payments on Contracts for Humanitarian Goods - Summary by Supplier and Contract (2.2MB)


[edit on 28-10-2005 by Riwka]

Thanks for the very Informative Post!

Cheers!