196 Barack H. Obama: The Unauthorized Biographystate documents in Illinois recording that Fintrade Services, a Panamanian company, lent
money to Mr Obama’s fundraiser in May 2005. Fintrade’s directors include Ibtisam Auchi,
the name of Mr Auchi’s wife. Mr Auchi’s spokespeople declined to respond to a question
about whether he was linked to this business. Mr Rezko, to be tried for corruption this
month, had his bail revoked on Monday after he disobeyed a court’s instructions to keep it
informed of changes to his finances. Prosecutors feared that he could try to flee abroad....
According to prosecution documents Mr Rezko tried to persuade unnamed Illinois officials
to help Mr Auchi to get a US visa after he was convicted of fraud in France. Mr Auchi
denies asking Mr Rezko to approach any officials and Mr Obama’s aides deny that he was
approached. There is no suggestion that any lobbying was related to the loan. Mr Rezko has
been indicted for pressuring companies seeking state business for kickbacks and campaign
contributions, although none for Mr Obama. He was granted bail in October 2006. He told
a judge that he had no access to overseas money. But in April 2007 Mr Auchi’s business,
General Mediterranean Holding (GMH), wired $3.5 million to Mr Rezko from a bank
account in Beirut via a law firm. Mr Auchi has attracted attention at Westminster because
of his closeness to politicians and the Establishment. He says that his brother was executed
by Saddam Hussein’s regime. His business partners in Britain have included Lord Steel of
Aikwood, the former Liberal leader, and Keith Vaz, the Labour MP and Home Affairs
Committee chairman. On the 20th anniversary of his business in 1999, Mr Auchi received a
greeting card signed by 130 politicians, including Tony Blair, William Hague and Charles
Kennedy, who were then leaders of their respective parties. Norman Lamb, the Liberal
Democrat MP, went on to table parliamentary questions asking why the Blair Government
appeared slow to respond to a French extradition request. Mr Lamb said last night: “It’s a
matter of public interest to understand why the payments were made. This deserves
thorough investigation.” Mr Auchi founded GMH in 1979, a year before he left Iraq. He
says that he did business with his native country when it was considered a friend of the
West but ceased to trade with Saddam’s regime once sanctions were imposed after the
invasion of Kuwait. US prosecution documents recall Mr Auchi’s suspended jail sentence
and €2 million fine for corruption in France five years ago. Defence lawyers said that Mr
Auchi lent the $3.5 million for legal and family expenses.’ (James Bone, “Obama bagman
is sent to jail after failing to declare $3.5m payment by British tycoon,” London Times,
February 1, 2008)
AUCHI IMPLICATED IN OIL FOR FOOD SCANDAL, CELL PHONE SCAM
In addition to his other escapades, Auchi has according to published reports also been implicated
by US government investigators in a bribery scheme to fix cell phone contracts let by the US-
imposed Coalition Provisional Authority of Iraq, as well as of having played a key role in the Oil
for Food scandal. The Oil for Food scandal occurred when international profiteers embezzled
money from a UN program designed to deliver food and medicine to the people of Iraq during the
period of the genocidal US-imposed sanctions, which resulted n the needless deaths of hundreds of
thousands of Iraqis. A crucial component of this story was provided by neocon Bill Gertz, who
pointed out: ‘Auchi gave at least $10.5 million to Obama fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko,
including a payment of $3.5 million that coincided with Mr. Obama's purchase in 2005 of a $1.65
million Chicago house, the London Times reported Tuesday. The newspaper said the timing of the