Sins catching up?

As this is George Galloway we are talking about, one can argue that if his sins are catching up with him then it is not a moment too soon. Not that his punishment is going to be all that dire.

According to the Sunday Times, the man is to be suspended from the House of Commons (where he does not spend all that much time, anyway) because of his links with the oil-for-food scam.

In 1998 Galloway founded the Mariam Appeal, which campaigned for the lifting of sanctions on Iraq. The appeal, which paid Galloway’s wife and funded international travel for the MP, received almost £450,000 from Fawaz Zureikat, a Jordanian businessman who was also a trustee of the appeal. It subsequently emerged that more than half of this money came from the proceeds of Iraqi oil sales. An investigation by the American Senate alleged that the Mariam Appeal was used by the Iraqi regime to finance Galloway.

Galloway continues to deny the accusations though he has not actually faced another senatorial hearing, insisting that he knew nothing about the source of the money and is being smeared. Judging by at least one comment on the article there are people out there who are ready to repeat this rubbish, adding for good measure that if British troops are withdrawn from Iraq in the next few months (not at all a given), Galloway will be proved right.

Well, no. Galloway thought Saddam was a wonderful leader and he has not been proved right on that or anything else.

Right now, he is facing a month's suspension from the House of Commons. The question is, will he still be able to claim expenses.

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