Democrats blame Treasury Department for not stopping US oil-for-food kickbacks News
Democrats blame Treasury Department for not stopping US oil-for-food kickbacks

[JURIST] Democrats on the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Investigations [official website] claimed in a minority staff report [PDF] on the UN Oil-for-Food scandal released Friday that the US Treasury Department failed to respond to UN requests for help in investigating business improprieties and missed an opportunity to stop at least one US corporation from contributing to Saddam Hussein's efforts to corrupt the UN humanitarian program. The minority report focused on Bayoil USA, the first US firm to be indicted in the oil-for-food scandal [JURIST news archive]. Bayoil is among the 2,200 companies that have been accused of diverting $1.8 billion of illegal kickbacks [JURIST report] to Saddam Hussein's government between 1996 and 2003. Bayoil itself accused of paying $37 million in illegal surcharges. The Subcommittee on Investigations is slated to hold a hearing Monday [hearing announcement] on the latest oil-for-food findings. Reuters has more.