Mariam Appeal probe was aimed at discrediting George Galloway
THE headline 'Galloway slated over Iraq appeal aid funds - charity bosses slam oil cash links' may have misled readers as to what really happened with the Mariam Appeal (Advertiser, June 14) .
This campaign set up by MP George Galloway to lift sanctions against Iraq which led to the deaths of up to a million Iraqis prior to the 2003 invasion was not a charity and never registered as such.
Exactly why the Charity Commission took it on itself to investigate the Appeal not once, but twice, at taxpayers' expense, is a mystery. Both investigations concluded that the funds, almost £1.5 million, were used legitimately for the purposes for which the money was donated.
The only criticism the commission eventually managed to dredge up was those responsible for the Appeal should have exercised 'extreme vigilance' in accepting money from Fawaz Zureikat.
It is difficult to see what vigilance might have led to refuse his offer of support. He has never been charged with any offence by the US in Iraq or the present government and continues to travel freely to America and do business in Iraq.
The decision for yet another investigation into the Appeal was the product of a long-running campaign to discredit Galloway.
Judy Cox
Tower Hamlets Respect
Gascoigne Place
Bethnal Green
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