http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/martin-bright/2008/10/auchi-obama-rezko-billionaire Nadhmi Auchi and the New Statesman The New Statesman | 6 Oct 2008 | Martin Bright The brilliant people at Wikileaks have produced a very useful collection of articles about stories removed from media websites following legal threats from an Iraqi billionaire The British-based Iraqi billionaire Nadhmi Auchi has become a highly controversial figure in the United States after being linked to Chicago-based businessman Tony Rezko - the weak link in the Obama campaign. The freedom of information site Wikileaks has now published some fascinating material about Auchi's attempts to stop people writing about him. Auchi was convicted of fraud by the French courts in 2003 for his involvement in illegal payments surrounding a deal he brokered for the French oil company Elf-Aquitaine. Whenever I write this, Auchi's lawyers send a letter asking us to say that their client is appealing this verdict. So this time I'll save them the trouble. The local paper The Chicago Sun-Times outlined this complex of relationships in an article entitled Tony Rezko's Billionaire Buddy in February. Rezko's wife and Obama bought adjoining plots in Chicago on the same day in 2005. Obama later said he regretted doing a deal with Mrs Rezko for a strip of land adjoining the two properties. Earlier this year Rezko was convicted of fraud after it was discovered he had not disclosed a $3.5 million loan from Auchi.