Thursday, April 14, 2005
Texas Businessman Indicted in Oil for Food Scandal
The BBC doesn't report the name of this mysterious "Texas Businessman" - but it sure would be poetic justice for the guy to have strong ties to The Bush League.
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Odd that the alleged financial mismanagement during The Bush League's Coalition Provisional Authority haven't produced similar indictments. Was it mere coincidence that when The Bush League invaded Iraq, massive fraud and corruption came along for the ride?
Maybe we shouldn't be surprised, though. The US apparently knew about various misdeeds in the "Oil for Food" program since well before The Bush League's Excellent Iraq Adventure, so they've had more time to prepare indictments. Odd they kept so quiet about fraud in the Oil for Food program until they needed a distraction from the far larger financial scandals surrounding the ironically-named CPA's mishandling of Iraqi finances.
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Three charged over oil-for-food
A Texas businessman, a Bulgarian and a Briton have been indicted over the UN oil-for-food programme, US federal prosecutors have said.
They are accused of taking part in an alleged scheme to pay bribes to Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq.
Source: BBC News (Emphasis in original.)
Odd that the alleged financial mismanagement during The Bush League's Coalition Provisional Authority haven't produced similar indictments. Was it mere coincidence that when The Bush League invaded Iraq, massive fraud and corruption came along for the ride?
posted April 7, 2005, updated 12:30 p.m.
Iraq is becoming 'free fraud' zone
Corruption in Iraq under US-led CPA may dwarf UN oil-for-food scandal.
By Tom Regan | csmonitor.com
A former senior advisor to the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), which ran Iraq until the election of an interim Iraq government last January, says that the US government's refusal to prosecute US firms accused of corruption in Iraq is turning the country into a "free fraud zone."
Newsweek reported earlier this week that Frank Willis compared Iraq to the "wild west," and that with only $4.1 billion of the $18.7 billion that the US government set aside for the reconstruction of Iraq having been spent, the lack of action on the part of the government means "the corruption will only get worse."
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The Washington Post reported last Friday that the Justice Department gave "strong support" to the men suing the company, "concluding that the company can be held liable for allegedly defrauding authorities in Iraq of tens of millions of dollars." Twice before the US governmment had declined to participate in the case when asked to do so by lawyers for the plaintiffs.
Source: Christian Science Monitor
Maybe we shouldn't be surprised, though. The US apparently knew about various misdeeds in the "Oil for Food" program since well before The Bush League's Excellent Iraq Adventure, so they've had more time to prepare indictments. Odd they kept so quiet about fraud in the Oil for Food program until they needed a distraction from the far larger financial scandals surrounding the ironically-named CPA's mishandling of Iraqi finances.
