British MP George Galloway has challenged US senators to charge him with perjury over claims that he solicited money from Saddam Hussein's oil-for-food programme and lied about it under oath.
The US Senate committee investigating the Respect MP's alleged involvement in the saga claims to have discovered £85,000 (€125,615) in Iraqi oil money in his estranged wife's bank account.
George Galloway speaking outside his London home today
Committee chairman, Republican Senator Norm Coleman, says this means Mr Galloway lied under oath when giving evidence to the Senate Permanent Sub-committee on Investigations on May 17 this year, when he offered a passionate defence against similar claims
But Mr Galloway repeated denials that he had ever received any oil cash, and told Mr Coleman to "put up or shut up" by either bringing a prosecution or dropping the allegations.
The Bethnal Green and Bow MP accused Mr Coleman of orchestrating a "sneak revenge attack" motivated by a desire to avenge his "humiliation" at the hearing in May.
"I am demanding prosecution, I am begging for prosecution," Mr Galloway told Sky News. "I am saying if I have lied under oath in front of the Senate, that's a criminal offence.
"Charge me and I will head for the airport right now and face them down in court as I faced them down in the Senate room.
"Because I publicly humiliated this lick-spittle senator Norman Coleman - one of (President George) Bush's right-hand men - in the US Senate in May, this sneak revenge attack has been launched over the last 24 hours."
The committee's new report accuses Mr Galloway of personally soliciting and being granted eight oil allocations totalling 23 million barrels from the Hussein government between 1999 and 2003.
It claims that his estranged wife, Dr Amineh Abu-Zayyad, received approximately £85,000 (€125,615) in connection with one allocation of oil. And it alleges that at least £252,000 (€372,427) was funnelled to Mr Galloway's Mariam Appeal through several allocations.