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U.S. Senate Smears George Galloway Again!
Galloway's wife 'received £100,000 from Iraqis'
By Francis Harris in Washington
10/25/05 "The Telegraph" -- -- The Palestinian-born wife of George
Galloway, the Respect MP, is accused today of receiving $149,980
(about £100,000) derived from the United Nations Iraqi oil-for-food programme.
A report by an investigative committee of the United States Senate
says the money was sent to the personal account of Amineh Abu Zayyad
in August 2000.
George Galloway has always denied receiving money from Saddam's
regime
The report, compiled by Republican and Democratic staff, contains
detailed information gleaned from Iraqi archives and bank accounts
in Britain and Jordan.
The investigators concluded that Mr Galloway knew about the payments
and that "through his wife was personally enriched" by them. They
say that he "knowingly made false or misleading statements under
oath before [a Senate] sub-committee".
Mr Galloway appeared before senators five months ago and assailed
them for suggesting that he had a business relationship with Saddam
Hussein's dictatorship. He told the chairman, Sen Norm Coleman: "You
have nothing on me, senator, except my name on lists of names from
Iraq."
Later he added: "What counts is not the names on the paper; what
counts is where's the money, senator? Who paid me hundreds of
thousands of dollars? The answer to that is nobody. And if you had
anybody who ever paid me a penny, you would have produced them
today."
The report includes bank records showing a paper trail from Saddam's
ministries to Mrs Galloway. It states that the Iraqis handed several
lucrative oil-for-food contracts to the Jordanian businessman Fawaz
Zureikat, an old friend of the Galloways. A month later, on Aug 3,
2000, Mr Zureikat allegedly paid $150,000 minus a bank commission of
$20 from his Citibank account number 500190207 into Mrs Galloway's
account at the Arab Bank in Amman.
The senate team also says that a $15,666 payment had been made on
the same date to a Bank of Scotland account belonging to Mr
Galloway's spokesman, Ron McKay. Last night Mr McKay said he had no
recollection of the alleged payment.
The oil-for-food programme was designed to help Iraq's needy but was
misused by Saddam to reward friends and allies. Mrs Galloway, 51,
was asked by the Senate committee whether she or her husband had
benefited from Iraqi oil sales. She replied: "I have never solicited
or received from Iraq or anyone else any proceeds of any oil deals,
either for myself or for my former husband." Mrs Galloway started
divorce proceedings this year.
Mr Galloway would not appear before the sub-committee again but
responded to 44 written questions. He again said that he had not
benefited from Saddam's largesse. Asked whether Mr Zureikat had
transferred oil profits to his account, he said: "No". Asked whether
his wife or his associates, including Mr McKay, had received any oil
profits, Mr Galloway said: "I have no knowledge of Mr Zureikat's
business affairs."
Senate staff said at a press conference yesterday that they would
send their report to Britain and Jordan for possible action against
the Galloways and Mr Zureikat.
Three senior Iraqis in American custody, including the former deputy
prime minister, Tariq Aziz, told the Senate investigators that the
oil-for-food contracts were intended to benefit the British MP's
political campaigns.
Mr Aziz, who met Mr Galloway on the MP's "Big Ben to Baghdad" bus
tour in 1999, said: "The proceeds from the sale benefited the cause
and Mr Galloway."
The report says: "Aziz recalled that Galloway requested the Iraqi
government to provide financial support for the Mariam Appeal [to
send medicines to Iraq] to defray the expenses associated with
conducting the campaign. Aziz recalls that Galloway said he had also
asked for money from the governments of the other countries through
which his procession had passed."
Mr Galloway has always admitted receiving help from senior Arabs and
Middle Eastern governments but denies doing so from Saddam.
In April 2003 The Daily Telegraph found documents in Baghdad stating
that Iraq had been supplying funds to him. Mr Galloway won the
resulting libel trial. The case is being considered by the Court of
Appeal.
Sen Coleman urged Mr Galloway to allow investigators to see "other
account information" to which they had been unable to gain access.
Speaking at a press conference last night, he was asked whether Mr
Galloway would be prosecuted for perjury. He responded: "We will
forward matters relating to Mr Galloway's false and misleading
testimony to the authorities here and in Great Britain."
Mr Galloway's riposte was: "I'll see you in court."
Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited
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