Thanks to the US and it's many allies this International CRIMINAL is getting what he deserves.
GAO: Saddam Gov't Illegally Earned $10.1B
WASHINGTON - Congressional investigators said Thursday that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s government reaped $10.1 billion in illegal revenues related to the United Nations' oil-for-food program — much more than previous estimates.
The findings by the General Accounting Office (news - web sites) come as the United Nations considers expanding its investigation of allegations of corruption in the program.
The oil-for-food program allowed Saddam's government to sell oil if the money was used to buy humanitarian goods and pay victims of the 1991 Gulf War (news - web sites). Other oil sales were prohibited under a U.N. embargo imposed after Iraq (news - web sites) invaded Kuwait. The program ended in November.
The GAO had previously estimated that Saddam's government had received $6.6 billion in illegal revenues from the program from 1997 through 2002.
But using updated data, the GAO has concluded that Saddam received $5.7 billion from oil smuggled out of Iraq and $4.4 billion in illicit surcharges on oil sales and purchases of commodities, according to testimony prepared for the House Financial Services oversight and investigations subcommittee.
On Wednesday, U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said the United Nations had asked the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council and U.S.-led coalition to provide evidence of the corruption. The request followed reports that former Cabinet officials, legislators, activists and journalists had profited from Iraqi oil sales.
In its testimony, the GAO said the United States has had mixed results in recovering Saddam's hidden assets. The United States has seized about $926 million of the assets of Saddam's regime in Iraq and other countries have frozen about $3.7 billion of Iraqi regime assets. But little progress has been made in identifying and freezing most of Saddam's hidden assets. GAO said the regime was believed to have illegally acquired $10 billion to $40 billion.
GAO: Saddam Gov't Illegally Earned $10.1B
WASHINGTON - Congressional investigators said Thursday that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s government reaped $10.1 billion in illegal revenues related to the United Nations' oil-for-food program — much more than previous estimates.
The findings by the General Accounting Office (news - web sites) come as the United Nations considers expanding its investigation of allegations of corruption in the program.
The oil-for-food program allowed Saddam's government to sell oil if the money was used to buy humanitarian goods and pay victims of the 1991 Gulf War (news - web sites). Other oil sales were prohibited under a U.N. embargo imposed after Iraq (news - web sites) invaded Kuwait. The program ended in November.
The GAO had previously estimated that Saddam's government had received $6.6 billion in illegal revenues from the program from 1997 through 2002.
But using updated data, the GAO has concluded that Saddam received $5.7 billion from oil smuggled out of Iraq and $4.4 billion in illicit surcharges on oil sales and purchases of commodities, according to testimony prepared for the House Financial Services oversight and investigations subcommittee.
On Wednesday, U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said the United Nations had asked the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council and U.S.-led coalition to provide evidence of the corruption. The request followed reports that former Cabinet officials, legislators, activists and journalists had profited from Iraqi oil sales.
In its testimony, the GAO said the United States has had mixed results in recovering Saddam's hidden assets. The United States has seized about $926 million of the assets of Saddam's regime in Iraq and other countries have frozen about $3.7 billion of Iraqi regime assets. But little progress has been made in identifying and freezing most of Saddam's hidden assets. GAO said the regime was believed to have illegally acquired $10 billion to $40 billion.
