Several Swedish companies are among 2000 worldwide accused of paying bribes to Saddam Hussein's government during the United Nations oil-for-food program, Radio Sweden reported on Friday.

The Independent Inquiry Commission investigating corruption in the UN program issued its report Thursday. According to the 623 page survey, more than half the companies doing business with Iraq paid kickbacks or illegal fees to the Iraqi regime.

Among them are 15 Swedish companies or their subsidiaries, accused of nearly 4 million dollars in illegal pay-offs. The biggest alleged offenders are foreign subsidiaries of Volvo, Atlas Copco, and ABB.

Meanwhile, according to Ritzau news bureau, twenty-one Danish companies have been linked to the corruption scandal in the United Nation's oil-for-food Programme

Chief consultant at the Confederation of Danish Industries, Marianne Castenskiold, said that although the companies were mentioned in the report, it did not necessarily incriminate them.

"This can only be decided by Danish courts," she said. "It's up to Danish authorities to evaluate whether the report contains information that could lead to the police taking a closer look at new cases."

More than 140 Danish companies participated in the oil-for-food Programme, which was established to provide food and other necessities to the Iraqi people during the UN trade embargo on Iraq after the first Gulf War.

Source: Xinhua