Washington, D.C.
Congressional investigators reported this week that France, Russia, and China repeatedly blocked investigations of corruption in the oil-for-food program in Iraq. The program aimed to help ordinary Iraqis survive sanctions imposed after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990. It allowed Iraq to sell oil to buy food and other essentials, but U.N. officials allegedly looked the other way as Hussein pocketed $10 billion. In a report to House members holding hearings on U.N. corruption, investigators said France, Russia, and China foiled every effort to rein in the program. “Their businesses made billions of dollars through their involvement with the Hussein regime,” the document said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Will there be peace before Christmas in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Discussions over the weekend could see a unified set of proposals from EU, UK and US to present to Moscow
-
Quiz of The Week: 6 – 12 DecemberQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
The week’s best photosIn Pictures A man's best friend, the elephants in the room, and more
