Galloway: Rejecting fresh claims

The prime minister said the government has no plans to investigate the latest allegations linking Respect MP George Galloway to Saddam Hussein's regime.

A US congressional committee revealed what it claimed was new evidence indicating that Galloway was granted millions of barrels of lucrative Iraqi oil allocations in return for supporting the Iraqi dictator's regime.

But Galloway went on the offensive after the claims were made. 

"Let me repeat. I have never traded in a barrel of oil, or any vouchers for it. I have never seen a barrel of oil apart from the one the Sun newspaper deposited in my front garden," he said.

"And no one has acted on my behalf, trading in oil - Middle Eastern, olive, patchouli or any other - or in vouchers, whatever they are."

Following the row, the committee said it would be happy to hear evidence from Galloway.

And subject to arranging flights and visas, the MP said he would be happy to accept the offer.

Investigation

Meanwhile, the prime minister said the UK government has no plans to investigate the latest allegations.

Speaking at his monthly press conference on Thursday, Tony Blair said the latest evidence had been set out in public by the senate permanent sub-committee.

Asked if there would be a formal UK investigation, Blair said: "We've got no plans to do that.

"Obviously it depends what emerges, but I don't feel in a position to comment on it particularly because I've not really analysed the evidence myself."

New evidence

A report by the Senate permanent sub-committee, which also names former French interior minister Charles Pasqua, suggests that Galloway received allocations for 20 million barrels in oil allocations while Pasqua received 11 million.

Pasqua also rejected any claims of wrong-doing. "I deny them one more time," he said in a statement.

Galloway last week defeated Labour candidate Oona King on an anti-Iraq war platform in the general election.

He was elected MP for the constituency of Bethnal Green and Bow, representing the Respect party.

Oil allocations

The senate committee had reviewed the handling of allocations to trade oil under the UN oil for food programme.

These allocation holders, essentially gatekeepers to Iraqi oil, would sell their right to buy under-priced Iraqi crude to traditional oil producers and in turn received a ‘commission', which typically ranged from three to 30 cents per barrel," it said.

According to the report, in April 2005, Taha Yassin Ramadan, the former vice-president of Iraq, told the sub-committee that Galloway had been granted oil allocations "because of his opinions about Iraq" and because he"want[ed] to lift the [trade] embargo against Iraq".

The committee also said there was "some evidence" Galloway "appeared to use a charity for children's leukaemia to conceal payments associated with at least one such allocation".

That charity was called the Mariam Appeal.

Galloway described the Senate committee as a "lickspittle Republican committee, acting on the wishes of George W. Bush".