London - A high-ranking Iraqi defector says he masterminded oil-smuggling operations for Saddam Hussein in defiance of UN sanctions, with help from Iran, according to a Sunday Telegraph report.
Mr Sami Salih, who escaped from prison in Iraq earlier this year after being tortured and accused of spying, said he had set up front companies in the Middle East and Europe to handle the trade. The hundreds of millions of dollars they made were used to illegally buy arms and supplies for the Iraqi armed forces. The clandestine oil sales relied on the close co-operation of Iran.
Mr Salih (38), now living in hiding with his family in Belgium after having defected to Britain, gave an account of his activities to British and US intelligence, enabling them to shut down the network.
Mr Salih also said the Iraqi dictator was sexually depraved. He claimed Saddam Hussein recently seduced the son of his latest wife.