In a case that may put a damper on the worldwide anti-war movement, US Senate members are accusing a British left-wing political figure with crimes emanating from the United Nations oil-for-food scandal.

The Senate alleges that George Galloway, a member of the British parliament, accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars from the former the Saddam Hussein regime prior to the US invasion of Iraq. According to reports from the Senate subcommittee digging into the UN scandal, over a half-million dollars raised from allocations of Iraqi oil was deposited into accounts of Galloway's campaign "charity," as well as an account held by Galloway's wife.

Senate investigators claim they have proof based on wire transfer records and interviews with some of Saddam Hussein's government officials. In a press release, the committee says they can show that Galloway, a hard-left, anti-American politician, "...personally solicited and received lucrative [crude] oil allocations from the Hussein regime."

The allegations raise questions about Mr. Galloway's statements before the US Senate committee that he never benefited from the oil-for-food program, which is the subject of federal criminal investigations, as well as investigations the US Congress and the United Nations headquarters in New York City..

Mr. Galloway is only one of many UN and international government figures being investigated in a widespread influence-buying scheme. It was through this scheme that former President Hussein sought to undermine support for sanctions. Those officials being investigated, say investigators, were given vouchers for bargain-priced Iraqi oil, and that they took commissions from the traders who transported and sold the oil.

"We have what I think we call the smoking gun," said Senator Norm Coleman, the Republican chairman of the subcommittee conducting the investigation. "The additional evidence clearly demonstrates the testimony Mr. Galloway provided the sub-committee was false and misleading."

According to US Senator Coleman, the case will be referred by his subcommittee to the Department of Justice, raising the possibility of criminal action against the MP over his testimony.

During Mr. Galloway's testimony before the Senate subcommittee, he accused Mr. Coleman by loudly denouncing the hearings into his dealings with Iraq as what he called "the mother of all smokescreens."  He accused the Senators of facilitating this smokescreen with a smokescreen of his own. Galloway's vitriolic attacks against the US government and its Iraq policy even surprised some Democrats.

According to left-wing political commentator and columnist Christopher Hitchens, who surprisingly supports the US-British actions in Iraq after spending time in that war-torn country, this will hurt the global anti-war movement since Galloway is often heralded as a leader in the movement. These allegations may prove that many who opposed military action against Iraq did so in order to profit from the UN sanctions and the oil vouchers they received as a result of those sanctions.

Galloway's reaction was boisterous when he told reporters, "I have never benefited from any oil deal and I have never asked anyone to act on my behalf . . . This ought to be dead, yet Norm Coleman parrots it once more, from 3,000 miles away and protected by privilege."

Senator Colemen countered, "I am sure Mr. Galloway will attack me and the subcommittee. What he cannot attack is the evidence, which speaks for itself."

The documents released to the media on Monday include wire transfers to and from the Citibank account of Fawaz Zureikat, a Jordanian businessman who was allegedly the agent for transactions related to Iraqi oil allocations for Mr. Galloway. Some of the documents reveal a transfer of over $700,000 in July 2000 into the account of Mr. Zureikat as a commission from Taurus Petroleum, An oil company based in Switzerland. Taurus Petroleum had purchased the oil from another company, Aredio Petroleum, which had acquired the oil directly from Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organisation. Within days after the transfer, Mr. Zureikat moved $150,000 from that account to an account for Mr. Galloway's wife, Dr. Amineh Abu-Zayad, and another $340,000 to an account for Mariam Appeal, Mr. Galloway's UK-based political campaign.

Abu-Zayad responded to the documents by saying she never "solicited or received from Iraq or anyone else any proceeds of any oil deals."

Mr. Zureikat in turn may have paid illegal surcharges back to the Hussein regime totaling more than $1.6 million within a two year period.

Taha Yasin Ramadan, the former Iraqi vice- president, told Senate investigators that Galloway had received allocations of his opposition to the Iraq War and the fact that he wanted the sanctions and embargo imposed on Iraq lifted by the United Nations and the United States.

As far as statements from other Iraqi officials accusing Galloway of participating in the oil-for-food scam, he said that their testimony should be discounted because they are in custody and facing the possibility of death sentences.

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Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police. He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country.  His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com, Booksamillion.com, and can be ordered at local bookstores. If you wish to sign up for his intelligence reports, write to [email protected]. Kouri's own website is located at http://jimkouri.us