The Iraqi government has said it will file lawsuits in US courts against firms and people suspected of illegally profiting from a UN programme.
| Be still my beating heart ... |
The UN oil-for-food programme allowed Saddam Hussein's government to sell oil in order to buy humanitarian supplies during UN sanctions from 1996-2003. An inquiry found that 2,200 firms paid $1.8bn in bribes to Iraqi officials.
Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement that the legal action was to recover damages and hold those who benefited from the illegal activity 'accountable for their actions'. 'The oil-for-food programme was subject to huge financial scandals by companies and others [who] conspired with Saddam Hussein to embezzle large sums of money through kickbacks, inflated prices and the supply of shoddy goods,' he said.
A UN-commissioned inquiry headed by former US Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker found that 2,200 companies in 66 countries had paid kickbacks to Iraqi officials to win supply contracts under the $60bn (£30bn) programme.
| Though we peasants have never actually seen his report ... |
The Iraqi statement did not name the firms or people the legal action will target nor when and in which courts the suits will be filed. |