Panel seeks U.N. oil-for-food records

WASHINGTON — The chairman of a congressional committee contended Monday that U.N. officials “encouraged, or at least tacitly condoned,” President Saddam Hussein’s widespread abuse of Iraq’s oil-for-food relief program.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee asked that the United Nations give the panel all records related to alleged bribes and kickbacks involved in the U.N.-sponsored program to ease the effects of economic sanctions on Iraq’s civilians. The committee also requested a list of U.N. officials involved in its management.

A recent report by the Central Intelligence Agency’s chief arms inspector, Charles Duelfer, concluded that Saddam exploited the relief program to reap billions of dollars in illicit revenue, bypassing U.N.-imposed sanctions.

The $60 billion program began in 1996.