An update on one of my favourite truth-speakers, George Galloway. Remember him? He bearded the lion in the den of the Congress, daring anyone of them to charge him in the oil for food scandal, then administered a collective tongue-lashing to the feckless rubes we elected to Congress due to our laziness and stupidity. We can only dream of a statesmen that would say what needs to be said about our governments abysmal actions worldwide. If you want to talk embezzelment, let's start at home. Halliburton, anyone?
George has dared Congress to charge him formally with these crimes. He knows that they can't make them stick. From his detractors we've heard not a single subastatiated fact. Just a smear campaign that puts words in the mouth of a prisoner of the US. Some Independent Inquiry Commission, huh? It seems the US is perfectly happy to use the UN when it's playing along with the US agenda
Pity no one is paying attention.
Blue Ibis
Aziz denies naming British MP in graft probe: lawyer
By Dina al-Wakeel Sat Oct 29, 5:18 PM ET
AMMAN (Reuters) - Former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz has denied telling investigators that maverick British politician George Galloway profited from the U.N. oil-for-food program for Iraq, Aziz's lawyer said on Saturday.
U.S. congressional investigators said this week they had evidence that Galloway profited from the defunct U.N. program created to protect Iraqis from the harsh effects of sanctions against their government.
The U.N.-established Independent Inquiry Committee, led by former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, also named Galloway in a report issued this week as one of several politicians who were given favors by Saddam.
Congressional investigators said that, under questioning Aziz, said he had discussed oil allocations with Galloway and confirmed the authenticity of a letter in which the British member of parliament requested a bigger oil allocation.
"These are lies...he (Aziz) denied this," Aziz's lawyer Badia Aref told Reuters.
"It is part of a media campaign aimed at smearing Galloway's reputation," said the lawyer, who last saw Aziz on Tuesday.
Aref said Aziz confirmed that Iraq had participated with some $45,000 in the Mariam Appeal cancer charity set up by Galloway, but only to help sick Iraqi children.
However, Tom Steward, spokesman for U.S. Senator Norm Coleman who chairs the Senate subcommittee on investigations, said Aziz's retraction was suspect.
"Chairman Volcker believes Tareq Aziz changed his testimony because Iraqi prosecutors were breathing down his neck and concluded Aziz's retraction is not credible," he said in a statement. He said there was "a solid bedrock of evidence" suggesting Galloway received oil-for-food money.
Galloway himself told the subcommittee earlier this year that he was not an oil trader and had never spoken to Aziz about Iraq providing financial support for the Mariam Appeal.
He has also rejected the latest U.S. accusations that he profited from the oil-for-food program.
Congressional investigators say Galloway personally solicited and was granted oil allocations from the Iraqi government for 23 million barrels from 1999 to 2003. They say Galloway's wife received about $150,000 in connection with the allocations and the Mariam fund received at least $446,000.
Aziz, a Christian who was the public face of Saddam's government abroad, was arrested after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. No formal charges have been brought against him yet. "Nothing is clear yet...the man cannot remain in these conditions...his health is deteriorating," Aref said.
Comment: Armed only with the truth, Galloway so infuriated the U.S. ruling class at the Senate hearing in May this year that they will stop at nothing to have their revenge. Of course, we shouldn't be surprised that the Bush regime would deliberately fabricate evidence in order to further their political and personal goals, after all, look at the last 5 years.
George has dared Congress to charge him formally with these crimes. He knows that they can't make them stick. From his detractors we've heard not a single subastatiated fact. Just a smear campaign that puts words in the mouth of a prisoner of the US. Some Independent Inquiry Commission, huh? It seems the US is perfectly happy to use the UN when it's playing along with the US agenda
Pity no one is paying attention.
Blue Ibis
Aziz denies naming British MP in graft probe: lawyer
By Dina al-Wakeel Sat Oct 29, 5:18 PM ET
AMMAN (Reuters) - Former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz has denied telling investigators that maverick British politician George Galloway profited from the U.N. oil-for-food program for Iraq, Aziz's lawyer said on Saturday.
U.S. congressional investigators said this week they had evidence that Galloway profited from the defunct U.N. program created to protect Iraqis from the harsh effects of sanctions against their government.
The U.N.-established Independent Inquiry Committee, led by former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, also named Galloway in a report issued this week as one of several politicians who were given favors by Saddam.
Congressional investigators said that, under questioning Aziz, said he had discussed oil allocations with Galloway and confirmed the authenticity of a letter in which the British member of parliament requested a bigger oil allocation.
"These are lies...he (Aziz) denied this," Aziz's lawyer Badia Aref told Reuters.
"It is part of a media campaign aimed at smearing Galloway's reputation," said the lawyer, who last saw Aziz on Tuesday.
Aref said Aziz confirmed that Iraq had participated with some $45,000 in the Mariam Appeal cancer charity set up by Galloway, but only to help sick Iraqi children.
However, Tom Steward, spokesman for U.S. Senator Norm Coleman who chairs the Senate subcommittee on investigations, said Aziz's retraction was suspect.
"Chairman Volcker believes Tareq Aziz changed his testimony because Iraqi prosecutors were breathing down his neck and concluded Aziz's retraction is not credible," he said in a statement. He said there was "a solid bedrock of evidence" suggesting Galloway received oil-for-food money.
Galloway himself told the subcommittee earlier this year that he was not an oil trader and had never spoken to Aziz about Iraq providing financial support for the Mariam Appeal.
He has also rejected the latest U.S. accusations that he profited from the oil-for-food program.
Congressional investigators say Galloway personally solicited and was granted oil allocations from the Iraqi government for 23 million barrels from 1999 to 2003. They say Galloway's wife received about $150,000 in connection with the allocations and the Mariam fund received at least $446,000.
Aziz, a Christian who was the public face of Saddam's government abroad, was arrested after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. No formal charges have been brought against him yet. "Nothing is clear yet...the man cannot remain in these conditions...his health is deteriorating," Aref said.
Comment: Armed only with the truth, Galloway so infuriated the U.S. ruling class at the Senate hearing in May this year that they will stop at nothing to have their revenge. Of course, we shouldn't be surprised that the Bush regime would deliberately fabricate evidence in order to further their political and personal goals, after all, look at the last 5 years.
George Galloway
Oil for Food
Tareq Aziz
Iraq
Patriot Act
Fascism
Norm Coleman
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