U.S. court decision delayed in lawsuit against group giving Iraqi aid

Published: 2004-06-07

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A U.S. Treasury Department lawsuit against a humanitarian aid group accused of illegally importing medical supplies into Iraq did not gain much headway at a June 4 hearing in U.S. District Court in Washington. The group, Chicago-based Voices in the Wilderness, whose members include Catholics, provided humanitarian aid to Iraq before the U.S.-led invasion and during U.S. trade sanctions against the Iraqi government. The Treasury Department has accused the aid group of disregarding export licensing procedures and repeatedly refusing to pay the imposed fine. U.S. District Court Judge John Bates criticized Treasury Department officials for waiting nearly four years to issue their $20,000 fine against the group and gave the U.S. prosecution team two weeks to explain the delay. He questioned why the group was even fined a year ago, noting that the economic sanctions statute explicitly allows the delivery of food and medicine to those suffering in Iraq.

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