THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, November 6, 1995 TAG: 9511060077
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
The Virginia Democratic Party, fighting to maintain control of the General Assembly, received $100,000 from a Middle Eastern oil broker who said he wanted to help President Clinton get re-elected.
Roger Tamraz, an Arab-born naturalized U.S. citizen, sent the money to the Democratic National Committee, which forwarded it to the state party as Tuesday's legislative elections approach.
Republicans could take control of the Assembly with a net gain of three seats in the Senate and four in the House of Delegates.
Tamraz sent $25,000 out of his own pocket and $75,000 in the name of his oil company, Tamoil Inc., The Washington Post reported Sunday. The donations were listed in campaign finance reports filed with the state.
The contributions have raised questions because Tamoil not only is the name of a Tamraz-owned business recently incorporated in the United States, it also is the name of a company he once owned and sold to Libya that is banned from doing business in this country.
Republican Gov. George Allen, whose political action committee has been fiercely criticized by Democrats for accepting $125,000 from Smithfield Foods Inc., under state investigation for pollution violations, questioned his opponents' fund raising.
Republican Sen. John W. Warner and U.S. Rep. Thomas J. Bliley, R-7th, joined the fray Sunday, calling for a U.S. Treasury Department investigation of the gift.
``Was there not a responsibility on the part of the Democrat State Party to carefully examine such a large gift from a nonresident of Virginia with so many foreign involvements?'' Warner said.
Virginia Democratic leaders said they had never heard of Tamraz before the DNC referred him to them. ``He just said he supports Democrats and wants to help Democrats,'' said party spokeswoman Gail Nardi.
The Tamoil that Tamraz sold in 1986 is a prominent Libyan-controlled network of oil refineries prohibited from doing business with the United States under longstanding sanctions against Moammar Gadhafi's regime because of its terrorist activities.
Tamraz said, however, that the Tamoil that contributed to the Democrats last month has no current affiliation with the Libyans.
Tamraz said he retained the U.S. trademark for Tamoil because it has a strong reputation overseas. ``I was very proud of my name, and Tamoil is a very well-known brand in Europe,'' he said.
Tamraz said he approached the DNC hoping to help Clinton's forthcoming campaign and was directed instead to the Virginia party. He said he has no business interests in Virginia.
``I told the DNC I wanted to see Clinton come back and I could help,'' he said. ``They said (Virginia) is sort of a weak point for them and they'd like help for this place.''
Tamraz, 55, was born in Egypt and lists a Park Avenue apartment in New York as his home.
``I feel very much indebted to this country, and I'd like to be as active as I can,'' he said ``I think the Democrats, from my point of view, are doing a good job.''
KEYWORDS: CAMPAIGN FINANCE by CNB