The government of President Saddam Hussein earned $1,000 million annually from oil sales to Syria and $2,000 million a year in total for sales of oil outside the oil-for-food programme, Reuters quoted an unidentified oil industry executive in Baghdad as saying on 20 May. 'Some of the money went to the presidential account to build palaces and buy luxury cars for Saddam's cronies,' he said. 'But the remainder was used for medicine, spare parts and equipment.'