Was The Fire In His Belly Stoked By Saddam's Oil?

Anti-War MP Accused of Lying About Oil-for-Food Payoffs

Ferociously anti-war British Minister of Parliament George Galloway now stands accused of having profited from the oil-for-food program and lying about his involvement to the US Senate. From the Guardian (UK):

The MP George Galloway angrily rejected fresh allegations last night from a US senate investigation that he lied under oath about Saddam Hussein's multimillion-pound oil-for-food programme.

The allegations made by the Senate committee are serious:

· "Galloway personally solicited and was granted oil allocations from the government of Iraq during the reign of Saddam Hussein. The Hussein regime granted Galloway and the Mariam Appeal (an organisation he set up to help Iraqis suffering from sanctions) eight allocations totalling 23m barrels from 1999 through to 2003."

· "Galloway's wife, Dr Amineh Abu-Zayyad, received approximately $150,000 in connection with one of those oil allocations."

· "Galloway's political campaign, the Mariam Appeal, received at least $446,000 in connection with the oil allocations granted to Galloway and the Mariam Appeal under the oil-for-food programme."

· "The Hussein regime received improper 'surcharge' payments amounting to $1,642,000 in connection with the oil allocations granted to Galloway and the Mariam Appeal."

· "Galloway knowingly made false or misleading statements under oath before the sub-committee.

Galloway's Mariam Appeal was established in 1998 to campaign for the lifting of sanctions against the Saddam Hussein regime. Interesting.