IRAQ WILL SUE OIL-FOR-FOOD SUSPECTS

Extracts from BBC stories below:

"The Iraqi government has said it will file lawsuits in US courts against firms and people suspected of illegally profiting from a UN programme.

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.

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.

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.”

See full story from BBC HERE

Malaysian companies were named in the UN Report

“Iraq scandal taints 2,000 firms

Corruption "could not have been nearly so pervasive if there had been more disciplined management by the UN and its agencies", he said.

More than half of the 4,500 companies - from 60 countries - involved in the oil-for-food programme paid kickbacks or surcharges to the Iraqi government, Mr Volcker reported.

The single largest bribe came from a Malaysian trading company, Mastek, which paid Iraq $10bn over a prolonged period, the report found. "

See full story from BBC HERE

Check out tunkukuaisha blogspot post HERE

"Is there anything more dangerous to the cause of liberty than a politician fixated on re-election?"

-Neal Boort

Mahathir wants Western Leaders to be Charged with Iraq War Crimes.

NO MORE WAR!

image source

In a speech at Imperial College in London, organised by The Ramadhan Foundation, (which is a leading British Muslim youth organisation working for peaceful coexistence and dialogue between communities) on Friday 25^th April 2008, Mahathir Mohamad, who was Malaysian PM from 1981 until 2003, called for an international tribunal to try Western leaders regarding alleged war crimes arising from the war in Iraq.

Mahathir chose not speak about or answer questions from students (they must have been Malaysian students?) on the political situation in Malaysia, where the current PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is facing strong demands to resign, and where there is a lot of political infighting, elements of fifth columnists, and much behind the scenes political manoeuvring in UMNO following the unprecedented setbacks for UMNO and the National Front Coalition it leads, in the March general elections.

The speech was reported to have been attended by some 450 people and about 200 more were turned away.

Mahathir had reportedly visited Cuba earlier in the week and had taken part in the inaugural International Conference of the Cuban Centre for Studies on Defence Information.

Meanwhile he has been out of the news in Malaysia

See the full news report about this in the Straits Times of Singapore HERE

Quid novi ex Malaysia

-What of the new out of Malaysia?