Has to do with kickbacks in the Oil-for-Food program in Iraq back in the 1990s.
Everybody knew what was going on; U.S. looked the other way when money and oil went to its friends.
By the way, two UN administrators quit in protest over continued sanctions, and also stated that the Iraqi OfFp was (despite some corruption) the MOST WELL-RUN U.N. relief program in its history.
Even though it was miserly, it SAVED some Iraqis (sadly, not the half-million kids Madeline Albright thought sanctions were worth)!!
That's why I hate harping on the past.
Forget Saddam; we got REAL CRIMINALS running around looting and stealing NOW!!!
"Texas Tycoon, Prosecuted for Iraq Dealings, Says He’s a Target" by ALAN FEUER
It is likely that two competing versions of Oscar S. Wyatt Jr., the famous Texas oil man, will be presented to a federal jury in Manhattan next week.
One, by the prosecution, will depict Mr. Wyatt as a criminal: a wily businessman who broke the law by paying millions of dollars in kickbacks to the government of Saddam Hussein to gain access to Iraq’s oil.
The other, by the defense, will depict him as a target: a man singled out for prosecution because of his criticism of the administrations of President Bush and his father and because of Mr. Wyatt’s outrage over how the Persian Gulf war and the current war in Iraq have been handled."
[That explains everything!
Hey, at least they ain't killing you, Oscar, like the Wall Streeters and the congressman!]
Mr. Wyatt, 83, is charged with wire fraud and conspiracy in a wide-ranging federal indictment that accuses him of corruption in connection with the United Nations oil-for-food program. Under the program, established in 1995, Iraq was allowed to sell oil despite sanctions imposed after its invasion of Kuwait, provided that it used the proceeds to buy food, medicine and other goods needed by the Iraqi people.
From the moment he was taken into custody two years ago, Mr. Wyatt has proclaimed his innocence, contending that he is the target of a “vindictive” government.
The evidence against him is likely to include several hours of covertly recorded conversations in which, the prosecution says, Mr. Wyatt can be heard discussing aspects of the scheme.
Prosecutors are also likely to contend that Mr. Wyatt betrayed state secrets in pursuit of his deals."
[What NERVE!]
