Author: M K Tayal
Publication: Mid-Day
Date: February 1, 2004
URL: http://ww1.mid-day.com/news/nation/2004/february/75361.htm
A 'bribe' allegation by an Iraqi
newspaper that names individuals from France, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Turkey,
China, Austria, Lebanon, Indonesia and Russia including prime ministers,
presidents' sons, churches and businessmen besides prominent Indian Congress
party leaders including leader of Opposition Sonia Gandhi has stirred trouble
worldwide.
But the Congress Party, which is
named in the report, is not bothered and brushes asides these allegations.
However its their bad luck that the Iraqi Oil Ministry has confirmed the
documents to be authentic. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has asked for
an inquiry by the Centre.
An independent newspaper, al-Mada,
published a list of nearly 250 persons from many Middle-Eastern, European
and Asian countries who illegally received millions of oil barrels in exchange
from supporting former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
The Russian Orthodox Church and
the Russian Communist Party, Indian National Congress and the Palestinian
Liberation Organization are some prominent organisations named in the documents.
Some companies in Switzerland and Italy too have been named.
According to reports, Iraqi oil
ministry spokesperson Assem Jihad said thousands of documents were looted
from the State Oil Marketing Organization after Baghdad fell to US forces
on April 9, 2003, may prove that Saddam used bribery to gain support.
The documents are related to sale
of oil from 1999-2002 and were recovered from state oil marketing organisation.
"I think the list is true. I will
demand an investigation. These people must be prosecuted," Naseer Chaderji,
a Governing Council member was quoted by the Reuters news agency.
The report has rattled governments.
First, the Iraqi governing council ordered a probe and sought the documents,
which revealed that the ministry had paid millions of oil barrels to seek
support for Saddam.
Jordan and Bulgaria have said they
will investigate their citizens who appear on the list. Meanwhile, a business
promotion group in France admitted accepting oil but said it was perfectly
legal.
But in India, the Congress party
was not willing to get bogged down by baseless allegations. "This is absolutely
wild. These allegations are baseless. We do not take this seriously," says
Congress spokesperson Anand Sharma.
"This is a ridiculous and vague
story. What can be said of it," Congress leader S Jaipal Reddy remarked.
On the other hand, the BJP was silently
pushing that the matters be taken earnestly in an election year that could
benefit its poll prospects.
BJP general secretary Mukhtar Abbas
Naqvi said, "It is a serious matter and aspersions have been cast on the
ruling party for nearly 50 years. It puts a question mark on the country.
The Congress should come out clear," he said.
He also demanded the NDA Government
to initiate an inquiry and also assist the Iraqi Governing Council in the
inquiry they are conducting.
BJP chief whip V K Malhotra too
urged the Centre to seek more details from the IGC about its investigations.
However, Janata Party chief Subramanian
Swamy, fighting a long legal and political battle against corruption at
high places particularly aimed at Sonia and her son Rahul, could not have
asked for more proof to his allegations that mother and son duo have been
Russian spy agency KGB's agents.
He plans to file an application
in the Delhi High Court on February 4, 2004 to add to the public interest
litigation for probing charges of KGB financing Sonia and Rahul.
Sonia, Dr Swamy says, "is Shrimati
420 of Indian politics. She has faked her name, her place of birth and
her education qualification to cover her family's Nazi and fascist past."
However, Dr Swamy's problem is that most do not take his allegations seriously
though he is trying to prove the unholy nexus in the court of law.
The United Nations allowed Iraq
to sell oil from 1996-2003 under an agreement imposing a condition that
proceeds from the sales would be used to buy basic supplies.
According to reports, bankers say
some multi-national companies selling goods to Iraq may have paid commissions
to Iraqi officials that were deposited in Arab banks in exchange for winning
contracts under the oil for food deal.
Oil traders say Iraq also smuggled
oil through southern ports not monitored by the UN and through a pipeline
running to Syria. Damascus says the pipeline was only operating for testing
purposes.
There are 14 Jordanian and Lebanon
citizens and companies on the list, 14 are from Syria and 11 from France.
