U.S. Companies Involved in the Oil For Food Scandal

[erpowers]

Have the names of the American countries that were involved in the Oil for Food scandal been released? I have been hearing people mentioning certain oil companies in relation to the scandal and on Unfiltered Rachel Maddow justed mentioned that Exxon has been sopena to testify about their involvment in the scandal.

[cthrumatrix]

1. I imagine this is why we don't hear mny details about the corruption

and that can be applied to ANY govt dealings as well

[ozymandius]

2. mentioned on the radio yesterday

These companies have been mentioned and records have been subpoenaed:

Texaco
Exxon-Mobil
Coastal

There are others, including two individuals (one prominent Texas oil broker among them) that are named. The majority of names is being kept secret even though these and other names have been leaked.

[benburch]

3. Any hint of Halliburton, or its subsidiaries? nt

[seemslikeadream]

4. yes

Cheney, Halliburton Helped Saddam Fleece Oil for Food Program


by Jason Leopold

published by The Progressive Trail

...


But the one company that helped Saddam exploit the oil-for-food program in the mid-1990s that wasn't identified in Duelfer's report was Halliburton, and the person at the helm of Halliburton at the time of the scheme was Vice President Dick Cheney. Halliburton and its subsidiaries were one of several American and foreign oil supply companies that helped Iraq increase its crude exports from $4 billion in 1997 to nearly $18 billion in 2000 by skirting U.S. laws and selling Iraq spare parts so it could repair its oil fields and pump more oil. Since the oil-for-food program began, Iraq has sold $40 billion worth of oil. U.S. and European officials have long argued that the increase in Iraq's oil production also expanded Saddam's ability to use some of that money for weapons, luxury goods and palaces. Security Council diplomats estimate that Iraq was skimming off as much as 10 percent of the proceeds from the oil-for-food program thanks to companies like Halliburton and former executives such as Cheney.

U.N. documents show that Halliburton's affiliates have had controversial dealings with the Iraqi regime during Cheney's tenure at the company and played a part in helping Saddam Hussein illegally pocket billions of dollars under the U.N.'s oil-for-food program. The Clinton administration blocked one deal Halliburton was trying to push through sale because it was "not authorized under the oil-for-food deal," according to U.N. documents. That deal, between Halliburton subsidiary Ingersoll Dresser Pump Co. and Iraq, included agreements by the firm to sell nearly $1 million in spare parts, compressors and firefighting equipment to refurbish an offshore oil terminal, Khor al Amaya. Still, Halliburton used one of foreign
subsidiaries to sell Iraq the equipment it needed so the country could pump more oil, according to a report in the Washington Post in June 2001.

The Halliburton subsidiaries, Dresser-Rand and Ingersoll Dresser Pump Co., sold water and sewage treatment pumps, spare parts for oil facilities and pipeline equipment to Baghdad through French affiliates from the first half of 1997 to the summer of 2000, U.N. records show. Ingersoll Dresser Pump also signed contracts -- later blocked by the United States -- according to the Post, to help repair an Iraqi oil terminal that U.S.-led military forces destroyed in the Gulf War years earlier.

Cheney's hard-line stance against Iraq on the campaign trail is hypocritical considering that during his tenure as chief executive of Halliburton, Cheney pushed the U.N. Security Council, after he became CEO to end an 11-year embargo on sales of civilian goods, including oil related equipment, to Iraq. Cheney has said sanctions against countries like Iraq unfairly punish U.S. companies.

During the 2000 presidential campaign, Cheney adamantly denied that under his leadership, Halliburton did business with Iraq. While he acknowledged that his company did business with Libya and Iran through foreign subsidiaries, Cheney said, "Iraq's different." He claimed that he imposed a "firm policy" prohibiting any unit of Halliburton against trading with Iraq.

more
http://progressivetrail.org/articles/041011Leopold.shtm...

[seemslikeadream]

5. Oil Firms Say Iraqi Purchases Were LegalVoucher Rules Met, Companies Conte

Oil Firms Say Iraqi Purchases Were LegalVoucher Rules Met, Companies Contend


By Justin Blum
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 12, 2004; Page A18

...

The companies were required to obtain permission from the U.S. government and the United Nations to purchase Iraqi oil under the program. Exxon Mobil spokeswoman Prem Nair said Mobil Export followed that procedure for purchases in 1997 and 1998. A spokesman for ChevronTexaco, Stan Luckoski, said its predecessor companies bought oil "in full compliance with all applicable laws" but could not provide any additional detail.

Those companies, with three U.S. citizens, were among those named in a report released last week by U.S. weapons inspector Charles A. Duelfer, who concluded that Iraq did not possess stockpiles of illicit weapons immediately prior to the U.S.-led invasion. The lengthy report also examined the oil-for-food program, and included names of companies and individuals around the world that traded in Iraqi oil. In most instances, however, the names of the U.S. companies and citizens were expunged from the version of the report that was released publicly. Officials said they did so because of privacy laws.

....

The U.N. oil-for-food program -- under which vouchers were granted -- was created to allow Iraq to raise money for food, medicine and other critical, peaceful needs. But Duelfer's report said that former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein also used the program to extract cash kickbacks from some of those he did business with.

...

The report by Duelfer also named these individuals as having received vouchers: Oscar S. Wyatt Jr., a Texas oilman; Samir Vincent, a Fairfax County businessman; and Shakir al-Khafaji of the Detroit area. None returned phone calls.

In addition, the report named Bayoil and Coastal Corp., which has since become part of El Paso Corp. Bayoil officials did not return phone calls. El Paso Corp. filed documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this month saying it had been subpoenaed by the grand jury investigating the U.N. program. A company spokeswoman said she could not provide additional comment.

more
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25416-20...


from Gman in LBN

OMG!! Oscar Wyatt Jr?!

Edited on Mon Oct-11-04 11:45 PM by Gman
Its a very long story, (and I hope I remember it correectly) but way back in the mid-70's, Wyatt (Sr.) owned Coastal States Gas which had contracts to supply natural gas to San Antonio. During the energy crisis, Coastal and others cornered the natural gas market and jacked up the price of natural gas artificially. San Antonio at the time generated all of its electricity with natural gas which was considered the cheapest, cleanest and most reliable source of energy. But as a result of the price gouging, electricity costs went through the roof. San Antonio, and others, sued Wyatt and won. As a result, Valero Energy was formed to supply natural gas to San Antonio. In the meantime, SA started plans to move to coal power and has been on coal now to this day. Wyatt was the most hated man in Texas at that time.

Freepers have been crying about Saddam, France and others and this oil for food program. They've also been screaming for Bush to use it somehow against Kerry as another reason Saddam had to go and that the media was ignoring it or covering it up. This whole thing may well end up being a "be careful what you ask for" thing for the Freepers because if this thing is touching Texas Energy companies I can guarantee you it will also touch Bush, Halliburton and Cheney directly.

This may be the OCTOBER SURPRISE!