Sabre, VT - happy...

Sabre, VT - happy holding!

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Decision on AWB dossier looms
Caroline Overington
September 16, 2006
A PROLONGED battle over a batch of documents linked to the AWB kickbacks scandal may finally be over, with the Federal Court due to rule on the matter on Monday.

The debate over the documents has held up the inquiry into the Australian wheat exporter's payment of $290 million in alleged bribes to the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Commissioner Terence Cole is due to hand down his report on September 29.

The federal Opposition this week took advantage of what may be its last parliamentary opportunity to hammer the Howard Government over its handling of the affair.

Labor foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd predicted that Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Trade Minister Mark Vaile would not be sanctioned by Mr Cole because the terms of reference had been drawn to prevent criticism of government.

Mr Rudd said it would take an "extraordinary act of courage" on the part of Mr Cole to "ignore the constraints" placed upon him and make findings about the role of the Howard Government.

Mr Cole is inquiring into possible breaches of Australian law by companies named in the UN's Volcker report into the scandal, not into whether there was wrongdoing by bureaucrats, officials and ministers.

Mr Rudd described Mr Vaile as "the best friend Saddam Hussein ever had" and asked whether he accepted responsibility for the "kick in the guts" suffered by Australian wheat farmers, who have lost deals with Iraq worth about $800million a year.

Mr Cole is awaiting the outcome of the Federal Court hearing over documents AWB claims are covered by legal professional privilege.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20420657-2702,00.html