At least two Bulgarian banks have done the washing of about USD 40 B of Saddam Hussein, with the late British tycoon Robert Maxwell servicing as a go-between, Gordon Thomas, a British investigative journalist, told the Bulgarian section of BBC on Thursday.

A day earlier, he revealed to the Polish magazine Wprost that millions of dollars have been laundered through Bulgarian banks and then transferred to the Bank of New York.

The Bulgarian network minutely created by Robert Maxwell comprised the bankrupt Bank for Agricultural Credit, the Cooperative Bank, Bulgarian Yellow Pages, Balkan Films and other companies. The complex of businesses tied in that way was known as Maxwell's Central and Eastern Partnership. For the well-done work Saddam was reportedly very generous to his British mediator.

Gordon Thomas explained to BBC Bulgaria the scheme of channelling the money from Iraq toward Bulgaria and then to third countries. Another British financial magnate was involved into the network too - Tiny Rowland, keeping close ties with Saddam Hussein and with a former British prime minister. Rowland was said to have counselled the ousted Iraqi dictator on his financial affairs since the start of the war in Iran, when the West was still quit benevolent to the regime of Saddam, in the period of 1982-1991.

Former counsellor of Maxwell, cited by Gordon Thomas, has written in his memories that in the perfect trio "Rowland was the concert master, Maxwell led the melody, and Saddam played first violin" in the global laundry machine of ousted Iraqi dictatorship.

According to Wprost and BBC Bulgaria, during the interrogations Saddam Hussein has named bankers and accountants, who helped him cover up his amassed wealth abroad. Gordon Thomas claims that 18 British banks are on Saddam Hussein's list, including the Queen of England's Coutts Bank. Then the money was transferred to banks in countries like Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Bulgaria and Hungary.

Robert Maxwell is said to have had close links with the Bulgarian Communist Party and the late Andrey Lukanov, former prime minister of Bulgaria, who was shot dead in October 1996. The British journalist Gordon Thomas claims that under the auspices of then ruling communist regime Maxwell's companies disposed of much freedom to trade with western companies and banks. That made him "Bulgaria's King", because of his key position between Bulgarian and Russian mafia, as well as among the secret services of various countries.

The British tycoon, who was mysteriously killed in 1991, initially held 10 % of Bulgaria's Bank for Agricultural Credit, later acquiring more. The former chief of the bank, Atanas Tilev, who is in the focus of interest of Bulgaria's special services as well as by investigators after being charged for the insolvency of the bank. Currently he is living in Vienna.

The role of the Bulgarian banks in Saddam-Maxwell's laundry was to be an interim post of the money, sometimes transferring it to next place in a few hours, Gordon Thomas said to BBC.

The other Bulgarian companies involved into the network channelled Saddam's money to other regions around the world, like Japan and Hong Kong, where cover-up investments were made.

Bulgaria's Cooperative Bank was a 100 % owned by Maxwell. Balkan Films, created also as part of his network, was authorized for investments in Hollywood-made films.

From Sofia, the money of Iraq's dictator set off for Maxwell's bank accounts in Switzerland, then re-transferred electronically to the off-shore paradise of Caiman Islands, Liechtenstein and Gibraltar.

Gordon Thomas claimed that apart from the two banks, manipulated by Maxwell, there were other Bulgarian banks too, but he failed to know their names.

Gordon Thomas based his arguments to documents of Mossad, the Israeli secret service, according to which the dictator's money flew into sectors as telecommunications, petrol business, gambling and prostitution. It is said that Mossad is involved into the murder of Robert Maxwell in 1991.

The British research journalist thought that the recent Iraqi al-Mada's publication of Saddam's oil handouts list has deliberately hit the time, because currently Saddam is under investigation and any rumors that he had gave away information would stir persons aware of his wealth. However, member of the Iraqi Governing Council Muwaffaq al-Rubaie said this week that documents on Saddam's bribery attempts would be kept secret for now.

Gordon Thomas is a best-selling author of fifty-three books, including Gideon's Spies: Mossad's Secret Warriors, a book about the Israeli intelligence. He is an expert in security and secret services, having done multiple research publications. Gordon Thomas is also working as an assistant of British newspaper Sunday Express.