Saddam Hussein stashed away an estimated $3 billion of his personal wealth in Syrian government--controlled banks, as TIME recently reported. Now an additional cache of hidden funds is vexing Iraqi officials--and, if their irritation is any measure, the issue could put Iraq on a diplomatic collision course with its Arab neighbors.
Those funds come from kickbacks Saddam collected from the United Nations--run Oil for Food program, which allowed companies to sell essential commodities to Iraq in exchange for its oil while economic sanctions were in effect. Iraqi Health Ministry officials tell TIME that foreign medical suppliers who won the contracts...
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