The United Nations established the program in 1995 to allow Iraq to sell oil to global markets in exchange for food and humanitarian supplies without generating revenue to rebuild the Iraqi military in the wake of the Persian Gulf War.

The program ended shortly after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, when the Coalition Provisional Authority assumed responsibility for humanitarian functions. An investigation by the congressional investigative body the Government Accountability Office found loopholes in the program that allowed Saddam Hussein to receive various sources of revenue through the deal.

A source in the Iraqi Justice Ministry, speaking to Voices of Iraq on condition of anonymity, said a legal firm in the U.S. state of Texas would file the suit in New York state court.

In other news, Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi announced a "big national project" Friday aimed at development jobs for university graduates and younger Iraqis.

The U.S.-backed plan requires a financial commitment from the Iraqi central government, however.