It's not well known, but if the U.S. government wants a foreign citizen to testify in a U.S. legal proceeding, it can offer that person the promise of U.S. citizenship and passport. Plus a substantial "incentive payment."
Naturally, this isn't officially considered bribery. It's perfectly legal, and indeed, judges routinely instruct juries not to consider such compensation as affecting the truthfulness of the testimony offered.
A case in point is the trial now underway in New York of 83-year-old Oscar Wyatt, the founder of Houston's Coastal Corp. Wyatt, a living legend in the oil business, stands accused of complying with a demand from former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to pay surcharges on oil exported from Iraq in connection with the United Nations "Oil for Food" program.
This program, in effect from 1995-2003, allowed Iraq to sell oil on the world market in exchange for food, medicine, and related items. It was designed to provide Iraqi citizens with living necessities without allowing Saddam Hussein to rebuild his military.
Throughout its existence, critics accused U.N. officials and others of helping to unlawfully divert oil-for-food revenues to the Iraqi government. These payments occurred on a massive scale: a 2005 report from a commission headed by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker concluded that approximately 2,000 firms paid bribes and surcharges. As a result, the Iraqi government received an estimated US$1.8 billion in "illegal"—non-U.N. approved—revenues.
Very few executives of these 2,000 firms been indicted for as much as petty larceny. Oscar Wyatt is by far the highest-profile defendant yet to be placed on trial. Now, the Bush administration is determined to put Wyatt in prison for the remainder of his life for doing what thousands of other executives are alleged to have done, without having been prosecuted. And they're pulling out all the stops to do it.
The feds have already paid US$115,000 to Mubdir Al-Khudhair, a former official of Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization, in exchange for testifying against Wyatt. They've also promised Al-Khudhair, his wife, and his son eventual U.S. citizenship. Prosecutors also paid US$150,000 to Yacoub Yacoub, a former SOMO accountant, and have likewise promised Yacoub and his family eventual U.S. citizenship. Their testimony is crucial to the government's case, because they reportedly have inside knowledge of the kickbacks Saddam allegedly received from Wyatt.
Why are the feds out to "get" Wyatt, a World War II hero and the confidant of presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, and Clinton? No doubt, Wyatt is a controversial figure. Starting his oil business out of the trunk of his car, Wyatt grew it into a petrochemical giant with US$20 billion in assets, more than 18,000 miles of pipeline, and four world-class refineries.
But Wyatt made many enemies along the way, among them George Bush, Sr. Not only did he successfully compete against the Bush family in the Texas oil-patch, but Wyatt, a life-long Democrat, supported many of the Bushes' political rivals. Then in 1990, when George Bush, Sr. was president, Wyatt personally negotiated with Saddam Hussein to win the release of 21 U.S hostages held in Iraq. Wyatt's success in obtaining the hostages release, after months of fruitless negotiations by the Bush administration, deeply embarrassed George Sr., and earned Wyatt the lifelong enmity of the Bush family.
Now it's payback time. The U.S. government, with George Bush, Jr. as president, is spending millions of dollars and promising U.S. citizenship to paid informants to insure that a sick old man spends the remainder of his life in prison.
Regardless of what you think about Oscar Wyatt, is it proper to cheapen the value of U.S. citizenship by promising it to paid snitches in selective prosecution of political enemies of the president's family? On the sixth anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, I think that's a question worth examining.
Copyright © 2007 by Mark Nestmann
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