April 22, 2003
GEORGE GALLOWAY has some serious
GEORGE GALLOWAY has some serious explaining to do:
The Labour MP George Galloway issued strenuous denials last night after documents were found in Iraq alleging that he had received regular, large sums of money from the regime of Saddam Hussein.
Confidential papers found in Baghdad purported to show that Mr Galloway had been taking a cut of oil revenue meant for the people of Iraq under the United Nations oil-for-food programme.
Confronted by the evidence of his links, the MP, who has vociferously opposed action against Saddam, claimed that the documents were the product of forgers.
Which they may well be, although George's pleadings don't pass the Columbo logic test:
"The truth is I have never met, to the best of my knowledge, any member of Iraqi Intelligence. I have never in my life seen a barrel of oil, bought or sold one."
Nobody said you did, George. Nobody said you did.
(Via Daily Pundit.)
UPDATE. Galloway is, as they say, no stranger to controversy:
Mr Galloway was paid 5,000 pounds in cash by Al-Fagih in late 1995 to early 1996 to repay costs incurred on behalf of others during the campaign to prevent [bin Laden supporter] Al-Masari's deportation.
In the parliamentary committee's concluding report they found that: 'It is unacceptable for any member to be involved in recycling cash between third parties.
"It is also highly undesirable for any member to act on behalf of any organisation where no full record is kept of all financial transactions with which the member is associated.
"It is bound to be susceptible to misinterpretation and risks bringing the house into disrepute. We are particularly concerned that Mr Galloway's actions were on behalf of an overseas interest."
Latest word from London is that George is threatening to sue. This could become very interesting.
Posted by Tim Blair at April 22, 2003 03:41 PM