Galloway tells Senate 'put up or shut up' over cash-for-oil allegations

George Galloway yesterday challenged US senators to "please charge me" over fresh allegations that he had taken money from Saddam Hussein.

The challenge came after the Senate committee investigating the claims warned the MP that he could face prosecution over "false and misleading statements under oath" he allegedly made while giving testimony in Washington five months ago.

The Committee maintained that it has traced proceeds of $150,000 (NZ$212,000) from Iraqi oil sales in a bank account of Mr Galloway's wife, Dr Amineh Abu-Zayyad and that another $446,000 (NZ$632,000) was given to the Mariam Appeal, a leukaemia charity, run by the MP.

Mr Galloway claimed that the Committee chairman, Republican Senator Norm Coleman, a "lick spittle", was carrying out "sneaky revenge attacks" in response to the "humiliation" suffered when the MP appeared in Washington.

Mr Galloway, the Respect party MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, may, however, face investigations by three authorities in this country.

The Foreign Office has said that the allegations from Senate Committee has been drawn to the attention of "relevant authorities".

They are believed to be the Charity Commission, which inquired into the Mariam Appeal last year and has said it would examine any new evidence placed before it, the Parliamentary Commission for Standards which can examine of Mr Galloway had broken any of its rules, and Customs and Excise who can investigate whether United Nations sanctions imposed on Iraq were breached.

Interest will also be focused on the next report by United Nations investigators, under former US Federal Bank chairman Paul Volcker, due out later this week, which is expected to name companies which had illegally benefited from the oil for food programme.

The Senate Committee claims that Fawaz Zureikat, a Jordanian friend of Mr Galloway, channelled the money from the Saddam regime to the Mariam Appeal and the MP's wife.

However, The Independent has learned that despite the apparent severity of the charge Mr Zureikat is still trading in Iraq and has made several business trips to the US - both with the approval of American authorities.

Mr Zureikat has told The Independent: 'I have been to Washington, New York and Texas travelling on my own passport with the full knowledge of American officials.

"No one wanted to question me about oil. I have re-started my business with Iraq and I have an office there.

"Iraqi officials have encouraged me to continue doing business. I have had meetings with American officials.

"They wanted to talk to me about Iraq before the war, but oil did not come up and George Galloway did not come up.

"I asked them to check me out and they said they had done that and there were no problems."

He said he was still sending money to the family of Mariam Hamza, the leukaemia sufferer after who the charity was named, through his Baghdad office but "this had nothing to do with any oil sales".

Mr Galloway, who had repeatedly denied receiving money from the Iraqi regime, said yesterday:

"Please, please charge me, please prosecute me and I will be on the next plane to America to see you in court. Put up or shut up.

"I am demanding prosecution. I am begging for prosecution.

"If I have lied under oath in front of the Senate, that's a criminal offence.

"Charge me and I will head for the airport right now and face them down in court as I faced them down in the Senate room.

"Because I publicly humiliated this lick-spittle Senator Norman Coleman - one of George Bush's right-hand men - in the US in May, this sneak revenge attack has been launched over the last 24 hours."

The Respect Party MP for Bethnal Green and Bow said he was estranged from his wife and did not wish to answer for her.

The Senate report quotes a written reply from Dr Abu-Zayyad "I have never solicited or received from Iraq or anyone else any proceeds of any oil deals, either for myself or for my former husband."

Mr Galloway continued "the [Senate] documents do not say any money went into my bank account.

"Not one single dime.

"I have never benefited from any oil deal and I have never asked anyone to act on my behalf."

The Senate Committee said its information had come from interviews with former senior figures in the Iraqi regime including Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz and Vice President Taha Yasin Ramadan.

Mr Galloway said "The evidence is statements made by people on trial for genocide and now living in the dungeons of the American occupation in iraq.

"Knowing what we do about what happens to people in those dungeons, you don't have to be a genius to work out why, after May, they would get somebody to say what they want them to say."

- INDEPENDENT