V. Obama’s Heart of Darkness: Rezko, Auchi, Alsammarae, and Chicago Graft 183Elf-Aquitaine of about 3 billion French francs (about $750 million), principally during the 1980s
and 1990s. As a newspaper account related at the time of the Elf trial,
Another powerful figure whose dealings were examined by the magistrates is a British-Iraqi
businessman, Nadhmi Auchi. Defense attorneys said the magistrates investigated Mr. Auchi’s
alleged role in Elf’s 1991 purchase of the Spanish oil company, Ertoil, from its Kuwaiti owner.
According to French press reports, Mr. Auchi helped Elf by initially buying the company
quickly - and avoiding regulatory delays - and then selling it on to Elf. Defense attorneys said
Mr. Auchi allegedly received a commission from Elf of more than 300 million French francs for
his role. Among the magistrates’ questions is whether Mr. Auchi funneled any “retro-
commissions” on the deal back to Elf executives or political figures in France. Commissions
and corporate bribes for foreign officials were legal under French law at the time - indeed, they
were tax deductible. But it was illegal to kick money back to France through these so-called
retro-commissions, which nonetheless are thought to have been widespread on major oil and
arms deals. Mr. Auchi has denied any wrongdoing, and defense attorneys said he had offered to
buy Ertoil back and repay any commissions he received. But he has refused to appear in France
before the magistrates, who have issued an international arrest warrant for him. Although Mr.
Auchi’s name is almost unknown to the French or British public, he is sometimes described as
the eighth-richest man in Britain, with a broad portfolio of assets grouped under his holding
company, General Mediterranean. At one time, he was also reputed to be the largest individual
shareholder in the French bank, Banque Paribas, and a member of its international advisory
board. According to press reports, the French government last year seized his shares in Paribas,
said to be worth $500 million. Queried about his holdings Thursday, Paribas failed to respond.
(Joseph Fitchett and David Ignatius, “Lengthy Elf Inquiry Nears Explosive Finish, International
Herald Tribune, February 1, 2002)^69
Aiham Alsammarae (also known as Ayham al-Samarie or Ahyam al Samarrai) is the third of
Obama’s godfathers, and a picaresque figure in the annals of international crime. Alsammarae is
officially listed as a Sunni Arab Iraqi politician and the former Iraqi Minister of Electricity. In his
ministerial post, Alsammarae was accused of looting funds from the Iraqi Electricity Ministry
during the reign of the feckless neocon proconsul, Paul “Jerry” Bremer, the Viceroy of the so-called
Coalition Provisional Authority. In August 2006 Al-Samarie was arrested on corruption charges
involving irregularities in the letting of contracts and the misappropriation of millions of dollars. He
was convicted in October 2006 of corruption relating to a $200,000 generator purchase, and was
sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. In December 2006, his conviction for corruption was thrown
out, but he remained in jail awaiting trial for twelve additional corruption cases. Alsammarae fled
his trial in Iraq on corruption charges after hiring Blackwater USA to break him out of prison. He
currently resides in Chicago.. Alsammarae’s international flight to escape prosecution on felony
corruption charges was openly aided and abetted by the Bush regime, since an American plane
carried him out of Iraq to Jordan. Alsammarae is one of the international jackals whose looting of
Iraq under the Coalition Provisional Authority helped to created the armed backlash of a national
resistance which has so far cost the United States well over 4000 dead.^70
Now, o muse, let Nixon’s Bebe Rebozo be silent; let Albert Fall of Harding’s Teapot Dome and
Grant’s Credit Mobilier sink into obscurity. Let LBJ’s Billy Sol Estes and Reagan’s Gorbanifar and
Kashoggi go gibbering into Hades, while Carter’s Bert Lance and Clinton’s Marc Rich retreat to the
shadows wrapped in Sherman Adams’ vicuna coats from the Eisenhower era. A new champion of
crime and logothete of corruption is at hand, and he is Obama.