(Newsweek) - Mark Hosenball U.S. investigators are seeking to locate millions of dollars worth of Iraqi wealth stolen by Saddam - money the U.S. hopes to spend on rebuilding Iraq. Administration officials suspect large sums of illicit Iraqi money have moved through Syria, which for years helped Saddam's government evade UN sanctions by operating a black market in Iraqi oil. International oil traders have also talked of illicit kickbacks paid to secret bank accounts in Jordan. U.S. officials note that Amman allowed Iraq's biggest financial institution, the Rafidain Bank, to continue operating despite sanctions. Investigators believe Saddam and other family members still have large sums squirreled away in financial havens like Switzerland and the Far East.
2003-04-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive