More Evidence Surfaces on Galloway and Saddam

This morning, the staff of Senator Norm Coleman’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations gave a press briefing to preview a new report on George Galloway’s testimony before the subcommittee last May. The announcement of the press briefing said:

The briefing will provide a detailed analysis of Galloway’s sworn testimony as it relates to significant new information in the form of interviews, documents, bank account information, and Iraqi documents uncovered by the Subcommittee regarding the Oil-for-Food scandal.

The only article I’ve seen on the report is in Britain’s left-wing Independent; the article is titled “Galloway lied over Iraqi oil payments, says Congress report.” An excerpt:

In a report issued here, Minnesota Senator Norm Coleman and his colleagues on the Senate Subcommittee for Investigations claim to have evidence showing that Mr Galloway’s political organisation and his wife received vouchers worth almost $600,000 (£338,000) from the then Iraqi government.

“We have what we call the smoking gun,” said Mr Coleman, who will send the report to the US Department of Justice and the British authorities. The MP could face charges of perjury, making false statements and obstructing a Congressional investigation.

Galloway, of course, denies receiving any money from Saddam; he claims to have supported the tyrant for free.

UPDATE: Here’s more, from a subcommittee press release:

Since the May hearing, the Subcommittee has obtained further evidence establishing that the Hussein regime granted oil allocations to Galloway and his political organization, the “Mariam Appeal.” The Subcommittee report reveals that British MP George Galloway made false or misleading statements before the Subcommittee on May 17, 2005. Specifically, evidence gathered by the Subcommittee reveals:

* Galloway personally solicited and was granted eight oil allocations totaling 23 million barrels from the Hussein government from 1999 through 2003;

* Galloway’s wife, Dr. Amineh Abu-Zayyad, received approximately $150,000 in connection with one allocation of oil;

* Galloway’s political campaign, the Mariam Appeal, received at least $446,000 in connection with several allocations granted under the Oil-for-Food Program;

* Illegal “surcharge” payments in excess of $1.6 million were paid to the Hussein regime in connection with the oil allocations granted to Galloway and the Mariam Appeal; and

* Galloway knowingly made false or misleading statements under oath before the Subcommittee at its hearing on May 17, 2005.

The findings revealed in the Subcommittee’s report have been substantiated by personal interviews with high-level members of the Hussein regime, oil traders with personal knowledge of Galloway’s involvement, and extensive bank records that provide a conclusive paper trail and corroborate Galloway’s personal knowledge and involvement in the Oil-for-Food scandal.

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