Trial Begins for Dutch Businessman Accused of Supplying Iraq with Chemical Weapon Components

Prosecutors in The Hague, Netherlands, last week said Dutch businessman Frans van Anraat sold chemicals to toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein with the knowledge that they would be used in chemical attacks, Reuters reported (see GSN, Nov. 22).

“He is being accused of delivering raw materials necessary to build Saddam Hussein’s chemical weapons. The use of those weapons by the regime in Baghdad led to the death of thousands in Iraq and Iran,” prosecutor Fred Teeven said. “He is complicit in international crimes.”

The chemicals in question allegedly were used in Iraq’s war with Iran and against Kurds in Iraq, according to Reuters.

A statement by a witness read in the Dutch court said that van Anraat discussed with a business partner how to describe the agents used to make poison gas for something other than use in a weapon. Van Anraat objected to the statement.

“Van Anraat did not know about the intended use of the raw materials and did not know what their final destination was,” said Ruud Gijsen, one of his attorneys.

Van Anraat could face life in prison if convicted. A verdict is due by the end of the month, according to Reuters (Reuters/The Australian, Nov. 23).

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