Oil-for-food plotter faces 28 years' jail

[emad]

Telegraph
(Filed: 19/01/2005)

An Iraqi-American faces almost 30 years in prison after pleading guilty in a New York court to conspiracy and violating economic sanctions in connection with corruption in the United Nations oil-for-food programme in Iraq.

According to documents filed in the US district court Samir Vincent, a naturalised American, pleaded guilty to four charges as part of a plea bargain with the US government, which is investigating whether American laws were violated during the $54 billion (£30 billion) programme administered by the UN before the invasion of Iraq.

At least $1.7 billion was skimmed off UN-managed sales of oil from 1996 to 2003 by Saddam Hussein, rather than going to Iraq's sick and starving, whom it was designed to help during the years of UN sanctions.

John Ashcroft, the US attorney-general, said last night Vincent could be jailed for 28 years after admitting acting and conspiring to act as an unregistered agent of the Iraqi government.

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