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| Fifth Column |
| Galloway faces new Iraq charges |
| 2005-10-25 |
| As was discussed here during Galloway's Senate appearance, the whole point was to get to perjure himself under oath. Now comes the evidence. Maverick British lawmaker George Galloway solicited and received nearly $600,000 in profits for himself and a charity he ran from secret deals under the Iraq oil-for-food program, Senate investigators charged yesterday. The new charges, released by the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs permanent subcommittee on investigations, come five months after Mr. Galloway, a fierce critic of U.S. policy in Iraq, emphatically denied under oath to the panel that he had taken bribes from Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein or participated in any Iraq oil deals. Subcommittee Chairman Sen. Norm Coleman, Minnesota Republican, said the new findings "clearly demonstrate that the testimony given by Mr. Galloway in May was false and misleading." "We heard a lot of bombast at that hearing, but Mr. Galloway has been anything but straight with Congress or with the American people," Mr. Coleman told reporters. The outspoken British lawmaker, who was expelled from the ruling Labor Party for his criticisms of Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Iraq war, denied the charges in written responses to the new report. The new findings were based in part on interviews with three senior officials under Saddam, including Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, as well as on bank account records. The evidence details what investigators said were direct transfers of oil-for-food profits to bank accounts controlled by Mr. Galloway's wife and by the Mariam Appeal, a charity and political organization founded by Mr. Galloway. Among the subcommittee's findings: ⢠Mr. Galloway personally asked for and received from Mr. Aziz and others eight allocations from 1999 to 2003 for the rights to 23 million barrels of oil. ⢠Amineh Abu-Zayyad, Mr. Galloway's wife, received $150,000 in the summer of 2000 from Fawaz Zureikat, the Jordanian businessman Mr. Galloway acknowledges was his business representative in Baghdad. ⢠The Mariam Appeal was given at least $446,000 in bank transfers from Mr. Zureikat. These transfers and the one to Mrs. Abu-Zayyad came almost immediately after Mr. Zureikat was paid commissions for deals he brokered under the oil-for-food program. ⢠Two unidentified oil traders interviewed by the subcommittee said Mr. Zureikat met with them in summer 2000 and that it was made clear to them that the Jordanian was marketing Iraqi oil on Mr. Galloway's behalf. The deal fell through. |
| Posted by:ed |
| #11 "The great masses of the people will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one." -Adolf Hitler |
| Posted by: Glinegum Slereter7126 2005-10-25 20:13 |
| #10 Some Shi'ite cleric needs to issue a fatwa against Georgie boy, so the British will be forced to put him into "protective custody" - for about 40 years. There's more than one way to accomplish true justice! |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2005-10-25 19:05 |
| #9 ..federal pound me in the a$# prison... heh |
| Posted by: macofromoc 2005-10-25 16:55 |
| #8 Galloway is daring us to indite him. And he brags he will come here to stand trial. Obviously, he doesn't have a clue regarding the difference in evidence and trial procedure between UK and USA. Too bad Rudi isn't US Atty in New York any longer. He'd love this guy. |
| Posted by: Jack is Back! 2005-10-25 15:02 |
| #7 if he gets away with this i'll be fuming! lock him up for 15 years! if and its a big if, if he gets collered and done for this watch the media rally around him. |
| Posted by: Shep UK 2005-10-25 12:21 |
| #6 Ron's got a problem methinks. |
| Posted by: FrancoisGump 2005-10-25 12:04 |
| #5 From the UK Times: US Senate 'finds Iraq oil cash in Galloway's wife's bank account' GEORGE GALLOWAY faces possible criminal charges after a US Senate investigation tracked $150,000 (£85,000) in Iraqi oil money to his wifeâs bank account in Jordan. ... But the report provides bank account details tracking payments from an oil company through a Jordanian middleman to Mr Gallowayâs nowestranged wife, Amineh Abu- Zayyad, and his Mariam Appeal fund. ... A Senate aide said that Mr Galloway would be referred to the Justice Department for investigation of possible perjury, false statement and obstruction of a congressional proceeding â all âClass Aâ felonies carrying a sentence of up to five years and a $250,000 fine. The report says the Jordanian middleman Fawaz Zureikat, a close friend of Mr Galloway and his representative in Baghdad, funnelled $150,000 from Iraqi oil sales to Mr Gallowayâs wife and at least $446,000 to the Mariam Appeal. On the same day Mr Zureikat also paid $15,666 to Ron McKay, Mr Gallowayâs spokesman. Mr McKay could not be contacted for comment last night. |
| Posted by: ed 2005-10-25 11:56 |
| #4 Bend over and smile Georgie, you disgusting Scots git. Unka Sammie's got a big surprise for ya... |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-10-25 10:53 |
| #3 Looks like Grounds-Keeper Willy is going to get his rear end handed to him. Galloway's Ghoulish Goebbels'-Inspired Gaggle of Lies |
| Posted by: Uleating Wheagum6743 2005-10-25 09:37 |
| #2 It does appear that the man who only recently ranted in the middle east about the kafir rape of muslims' "two beautiful daughters" (Bahgdad and Jerusalem) seems to have been getting himself a little coerced side action off one of the "daughters". |
| Posted by: Abu - SVU Bahgdad 2005-10-25 09:19 |
| #1 Second page continued here. ⢠Mr. Zureikat also paid more than $1.6 million in illegal surcharges back to the Saddam government, which demanded bribes from those receiving favorable oil-for-food deals. The Senate investigators said it was highly unlikely Mr. Galloway did not know of the kickbacks, but found no direct proof of his involvement. A senior subcommittee staffer, briefing reporters on background, said that based on his categorical denials at the May hearing, Mr. Galloway could be charged with perjury, making false statements under oath, and obstruction of congressional proceedings. The staffer said the panel was sharing its findings with U.S. and British legal authorities. Mr. Coleman said he was discussing with subcommittee Democrats whether to refer Mr. Galloway's case to the Justice Department. In responses to the new report, Mr. Galloway denied all wrongdoing and specifically denied discussing oil allocations or other oil-for-food deals at a Dec. 26, 1999, meeting with Mr. Zureikat and a member of the Iraqi intelligence service. Mr. Galloway's May 17 voluntary appearance before the subcommittee provided some riveting political theater, as he attempted to turn the proceedings into an indictment of the U.S.-led war in Iraq. "I have never seen a barrel of oil, owned one, bought one or sold one -- and neither has anyone on my behalf," Mr. Galloway said at the time. He argued heatedly with Mr. Coleman and later called him "not much of a lyncher." Mr. Coleman said yesterday that he had not called the hearing to debate Mr. Galloway and said that, based on the subcommittee's new findings, Mr. Galloway's attacks were "full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." |
| Posted by: ed 2005-10-25 09:02 |