[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Page 24131]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      NOTICES OF HEARINGS/MEETINGS


                permanent subcommittee on investigations

  Mr. COLEMAN. Mr. President, I would like to announce for the 
information of the Senate and the public that the Permanent 
Subcommittee on Investigations of the Committee on Homeland Security 
and Governmental Affairs will hold a hearing on October 31, 2005, 
entitled ``Corruption in the United Nations Oil-for-Food Program: 
Reaching a Consensus on UN Reform.''
  The October 31 hearing will be the fourth hearing the Permanent 
Subcommittee on Investigations has held on the United Nations' Oil-for-
Food Program (``OFF Program''). The Subcommittee's first hearing on the 
OFF Program laid the foundation for future hearings by describing how 
the OFF Program was exploited by Saddam Hussein. A second hearing 
examined the operations of the independent inspection agents retained 
by the United Nations in the OFF Program and examined issues related to 
inadequate management, audit, and procurement oversight. The hearing 
also examined issues related to why the U.S. and U.N. did not interfere 
with Iraq's open exports of oil to Jordan and Turkey, in violation of 
U.N. sanctions. The Subcommittee's third hearing detailed how Saddam 
Hussein manipulated the OFF Program to win influence and reward friends 
in order to undermine sanctions. In particular, the hearing presented 
evidence detailing how Saddam rewarded foreign officials with lucrative 
oil allocations that could be converted to money. The hearing also 
examined the illegal surcharges paid on Iraqi oil sales, using examples 
involving the recently indicted U.S. company, Bayoil. In addition, more 
detailed information was provided on the nature and extent of the 2003 
Khor al-Amaya incident in which oil tankers loaded a large amount of 
Iraqi oil circumventing U.N. sanctions.
  The Subcommittee's October 31 hearing will address: 1. The findings 
of the Subcommittee's October 25, 2005, Oil-for-Food Program Report 
covering illegal payments to individuals; 2. the findings of the 
October 27, 2005 final report of the Volker Independent Inquiry 
Committee (IIC) on the United Nations Oil-for-Food Program; 3. a 
Government Accountability Office (GAO) status report on two 
Subcommittees requested investigations of the United Nations Office of 
Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) and the United Nations Procurement 
System; 4. the findings of a supplemental Minority report on Bayoil oil 
diversions; and 5. progress toward implementing United Nations 
management reforms resulting from the September 2005 UN Summit on 
Reform. The hearing will also examine the oversight by the U.S. Office 
of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to stop misconduct by U.S. persons 
doing business under the OFF Program.
  The Subcommittee hearing is scheduled for Monday, October 31, 2005, 
at 1:00 p.m. in room 342 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. For 
further information, please contact Raymond V. Shepherd, III, Staff 
Director and Chief Counsel to the Permanent Subcommittee on 
Investigations, at 224-3721.

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