Blood for Oil anyone?

Saddam Hussein rewarded Russia with oil for protecting Iraq from key British and American initiatives in the UN Security Council, US Senate investigators believe.

The Senate Permanent Sub-Committee on Investigations found evidence that the Russian presidential administration and the political party that backs President Vladimir Putin were among those paid off with oil allocations in what Iraqi officials knew as the "Saddam bribery system".

At one point, Saddam gave Russia additional oil and food contracts under the UN's oil-for-food scheme, specifically to "show gratitude" to Moscow for vetoing a plan by the US to crack down on cross-border smuggling by Iraq, the report says.

Russia was also rewarded for derailing a British and American plan to restrict Iraqi oil sales to an approved list of recognised oil traders.

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