The Independent Inquiry Committee that submitted its report to the UN recently has said that Emirates companies contracted to supply Iraq with humanitarian goods paid Hussein more than $100 million in illegal kickbacks during the seven-year period when Saddam was permitted to sell oil to fund the purchases of essential products ranging from baby milk powder to firefighting equipment.
Oil companies in the Emirates also profited heavily from the deals and in return paid out more than $12 million in illicit ‘surcharges’, the report has said.
The report, titled Manipulation of the Oil for Food Programme by the Iraqi Regime, was prepared for the UN by a panel consisting of Paul A. Volcker, chairman of the panel, Richard J Goldstone, and Mark Pieth, members.
Saddam Hussein has been blamed for rigging the $64 billion aid programme by demanding up to ten percent of the value of contracts for both the sale of oil and the provision of goods and supplies paid for with the revenue generated.
The damning UN report, listing the names of the companies involved in the scandal, documented nearly $2 billion of contracts awarded to Emirates businesses to supply humanitarian goods to Iraq. Out of those companies, just 14 are thought not to have paid Hussein. In total $103,047,799 was paid over to the regime.
According to the UN, kickbacks from these humanitarian contract provided ‘Iraq’s largest source of illicit income.’
According to the report, the biggest beneficiary of the oil-for-food humanitarian aid programme, and the company that paid the most in kickbacks, was a Dubai-based business founded by Hussein himself. It said the Al Wasel & Babel General Trading Company secured nearly $375 million from dozens of contracts to supply a wide variety of goods including vehicle spare parts, wood, toilet soap, tea, vegetable ghee and rice. In return it channelled $19,437,921 from the UAE to Hussein.
Even the Smallest contracts were ‘taxed’ by the former Iraqi president. A contract for just $17,578 to supply fuses resulted in a $1,786 kickback. The Inquiry’s chairman, former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, condemned the ‘corrupt and illicit activity by many buyers of oil and sellers of humanitarian goods.
And while the inquiry has no power to prosecute, it is actively aiding countries investigate companies that took part in the scheme. So far, Swiss, Italy, the U.S, and Australia are among 28 countries that have called for evidence from the inquiry to support their own investigations into firms named by the UN investigation. A UN spokesman declined to say if the UAE had requested assistance in similarly investigating the Emirates companies, citing confidentiality concerns.
Meanwhile, an ongoing investigation by the Australian government into the role the Australian Wheat Board had played in the kickbacks scandal is revealing the part played by Jebel Ali port, which acted as the final loading point for many of the humanitarian supplies before being shipped to Umm Qasr in Iraq.
According to evidence given by Michael Wallbanks, general manager of the P&O Nedlloyd shipping company in Dubai, freight companies transporting goods to Iraq from Jebel Ali were required
by Hussein’s government to pay an additional terminal handling charge’ (THC) of ten per cent of the cargo’s total value over and above what had already been paid by the firms supplying the goods.
Mr. Wallbanks said two UAE shipping companies, Simatech Shipping and Stalco, transported many of the cargoes destined for Umm Qasr. Exporters were required to pay the fee directly to Hussein’s Dubai-based front company, Al Wasel, Mr Wallbanks has testified.
The THC was later replaced with an ‘after sales tax’ that exporters had to send to an Iraqi government bank account in Jordan.
List of UAE firms named in Paul Volcker report to UN on Iraq’s Oil-for-Food scam
Company For Supply
1 Abdul Jalil Industrial Development Mechanical Seals
2 Abu Dhabi Fine Chemicals L.L.C Vegetable Ghee
3 Al Aham Trading FZE Rice, Sugar etc.
4 Al Barook Industrial Company L.L.C. Faxmachines
5 Al Futtaim Auto & Machinery Company Welding machineparts etc
6 Al Hoda International Trading Co. Blockboard, Sugar etc.
7 Al Huda Industrial Holding Fire Extinguisher, Water Tanker etc.
8 Al Huda Spare Parts Co. Tyres, Mobile Caravan etc.
9 Al Jaber Iron and Steel Factory Grinding M
10 Al Khaleej Sugar Co. LLC Sugar
11 Al Masaood Oil Industry Supplies &Spares for Gas Turbine Services Co.
12 Al Noor Veterinary Medicines Factory Vety-Drugs
13 Al Raml chemicals Trading Co. LLCOil Well Cement & Chemical Additives
14 Al Rowa’a General Trading Co. LLCNissan Patrol StationWagon and Spares
15 Al Wasel & Babel General Trading Co LLC Blockboard, Forklifts etc.
16 Ali Haji Abdulla AwaziRelays and FusesGargash LLC
17 Anson Ltd Piping and Accessories etc.
18 Babcock (Emirates) BorsigB.Tubes, Accessories Deutsche Service Co
19 Barcelona Marketing and Spare Parts for Telephone Services (BMS) Exchanges
20 Becfield Drilling ServicesProduction Packer and Middle East LLC Accessories
21 Belhasa Motors Co. LLC Pickup Duble CabinStation Wagon Spare Parts etc
22 Bhatia Brothers LLC Electric Motors etc
23 Black Sea Energy GeneratingSpares for Drilling andEquip. Trading Co. LLC Work Over Rigs etc.
24 Boranex Middle East Trading LLC Spare parts etc
25 Camtech Manufacturing LLC Maintenance & Refurbishment etc
26 Carrier Middle East Ltd Air Conditioners parts etc.
27 CNA Ltd Air conditioner
28 Daikddl Industries Ltd Air Conditioning Unit
29 Deutsche Babcock Valves etc.
Services Co WLL
30 Dien Prof Industrial Holding CoWood and Furniture clothes etc
31 Dome Oilfield EquipmentControl Instrumentation& SVCS & Spares, Fittings etc.
32 Dubai Poly Film Poly PropleneCompany LLC
33 Dyno Oil Field Demulsifier etc.Chemical ME FZE
34 Eagle Electromechanical Co. LLC Air Blowers
35 Emirates Refining Co Ltd Vegetable Ghee etc.
36 Esab Middle East LLC Welding Electrodes etc
37 Exide Al Dobowl Ltd Storage Batteries
38 Faisal Jassm Industries Co Camera
39 Firas General Trading LLC Tea
40 Global Resources G.T. School Activity Enterprises CoRequirements etc.
41 Gulf Falcon LLC Guardrail MaintenanceMobile, Trailer etc.
42 Gulf Inject LLC Medicine
43 Gulf Pharmaceuticals Medicine, Supply of Drugs etc.
44 Gulf Sail General Trading Equipment etcCom LLC
45 Gulffree Global Black Tea Development Group
46 Habshan Trading Co Spare Parts for Vehicle, Pipe Clamps etc
47 Harbour Maritime Fittings, Accessories & Fenders etc.
Services Co. LLC
48 Hassani Food Industries Adult Milk etc.
49 Hempel Paints (Emirate)LLC Paint Supply
50 Hi-Force Puller With Hydraulic Press
51 Hopkinsons Ltd UAE Fittings, C.Valves & Spares
52 Industrial Projects Tyres, Tubes, Spare parts Holding Company for Vehicle
53 Inter-Group company Photocopier , Accessories
54 Inter’l Resource Projects Galvanized SteelAuto Spare Tyres TradePipes and Fittings etc
55 Internatinal Food stuff Co Toilet Soap
56 Interplast Co. Ltd Bell Push Switchee etc
57 Intl Business Standard LLC Slide ProjectorLand Cruiser parts etc
58 Juma Al Majid Est Fire Fighting Equipment
59 Keystone Middle East. Inc Valves
60 Koprulu Trading company Tyres, Tubes etc
61 Lootah General Trading Uniforms
62 Macro Chemical Company MDB Materials Drill Bits etc
63 Maitha General Trading LLC Personnel Garments, Footwear etc
64 Masaood John Brown Ltd Spare Parts for Gas Turbines etc
65 Metito Emirates LLC Sand Filter etc
66 Middle East Representation Fire Fighting Pumps & Spares etc
of Companies & Agencies
67 Naran General Trading Co Heat Exchangers Repair
W/Accessories etc.
68 National Fire Fighting Utilities Firefighting etc
Manufacturing Company Ltd
69 NCT Middle East Resins
70 Oil Tools International Liner Hanger &
Cayman Ltd Accessories
71 The Mgt Group Shandong LPG Cylinders
Huanri Group Gen.Co.
72 Thomsun Trading Establishment Control Valves
73 Tomen Overseas Projects LLC Activity 62
74 Trans World AGR. Development Sprinkler Irrigation System
and Environment
75 Trizac Abu Dhabi Oil Field Wires
Supply and Ind.Prod
76 Trduvacy Cauvin polyetylene Tape &
Gulf E.C. Primer for all Areas
77 Union Trading Co. LLC. Cable, Gass etc
78 V. Alpine Steel Middle East Seamless Steel Tubing
79 Weatherford Oil Tool Middle East Ltd Dual Packers with Eqpt & Accessories
80 Wesco Pumps & Spare Parts
81 Woodhouse International Lamps
82 Xuzhow Construction Machinery (Overseas)Ltd Hydrauelic Truck
Crane W/Spare Parts
83 York Air Conditioner & Compressor, Spare parts
Refrigeration FZE. York for Gas Turbines
84 Zaine General Trading Spare Parts for Gas Turbines
85 Osram Middle East FZE Spare Parts for Street Lighting
86 Polyma Power System Middle East Battery and Battery Charger
87 Process Automation Consultants Spares for Instruments
& System Integrator Instruments etc
88 Ras Al Khaimah Ltd Spares for Electrical Submersible Pumps
89 Rentec Environment Protect Technology LLC Air Blowers W/Spares
90 Santco Trading Co. LLC Welding Machine/Parts
91 Sawah Co. LLC Pipes with Fittings & Accessories
92 Scientific Gulf Trading Company (L.L.C) Laboratory Equipment
93 Shahdong Weichai Import & Export Co Machinery Tools
94 Sharjah and Kuwait Air Conditioning Equipment Parts
Manufacturing (SKM)
95 Steripham Limited Oxygenmasks
96 Strong Global Safety & Inspection Equipment
97 Sufa Limited Valves, Fitting, Piping
& pineline Accessories
98 Target Trading LLC Workshop Equipment&Tool
99 Tawam Commercial Establishment Safety Equipment
100 Technical Parts Co. (TPC)LLC Maintenance Tools
101 Technopro International Group Flexible Loading Hose
102 The Industrial Eng & Metal Structures Co Diesel Lubricating Unit with Spares
103 Technomaintaine Turbine system Equipment
104 Hiland International Development LLC Saloon Car
105 The Management Group DC power supply Equipment
106 Al Kasid Trading Co. Vehicle spare parts
107 Beach Ind Co WLL Ambulance
108 Blue Water Trading LLC Buses
109 Trade Circule Technical Spare Parts
Industries (T.C.T.I) Skylift Meter etc
110 Unique Part Trading LLC H.Q Vehicle Pars
111 Zahir Oil Industry Vegetable Ghee
112 Regional Economic Development Tea
Fund (Red-Fund)
sumber: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/uae-firms-paid-100m-in-bribes-to-saddam