Looks like the investigating committee led by Volcker has come to some conclusions:
A U.N.-established inquiry into corruption in the $64 billion oil-for-food program will accuse the defunct program’s director, Benon V. Sevan, of receiving cash kickbacks for steering lucrative Iraqi oil contracts to an Egyptian oil trader, according to Sevan’s lawyer.
Former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Paul A. Volcker, who is heading the independent inquiry committee, is to release a third interim report Tuesday that the lawyer, Eric L. Lewis, said in a statement will also accuse Sevan, of Cyprus, of refusing to cooperate.
Lewis said Sevan is being made a scapegoat to deflect criticism of Secretary General Kofi Annan. Lewis said that the allegations, which were outlined in a confidential letter from the Volcker committee to Sevan last week, are “flatly false” and that he is going public to get his client’s side of the story out before Volcker issues the report. “Mr. Sevan never took anything from anyone,” he said.
The Volcker committee has been investigating misconduct in the United Nations’ largest humanitarian program for more than a year, and previously accused Sevan of improperly directing business to an associate. But next week’s report will represent the first time that the committee will accuse Sevan of benefiting from those activities.
Read the whole thing.
Steve
All the Oil-for-Food investigations seem to be so politically motivated that I have no clue who to believe. Either the objective is to implicate Kofi Annan, or it’s to exonerate him. Either the objective is to implicate American companies in the scam, or it’s to exonerate them. Is anyone at all doing a fair investigation?
frontinus
Paul Volcker apparently. The man pretty much saved the U.S.(one of the good things Carter did) then stepped back out of the spotlight. I see no reason to doubt the man despite the wet dreams of the fringers. The guy isn’t political nor is he glory whore.
Stormy70
Claudia Rossett is the go to journalist on this scandal.
Steve
Stormy, what do you think of the Volcker committee? Are they coming at this from someplace objective?
Stormy70
They seem to be, they are certainly taking their time. What people forget is that with the toppling of Saddam, we got loads intelligence. The Iraqis kept excellent records, and there are members of the Iraqi provisional government going through it. It is not a witch hunt, as Kofi’s son has been implicated, as well as Sevan. It does not look good for Kofi Annan.
Stormy70
New day, with more info, looks like the Volker committee will be covering up quite a bit. Why do I ever think I can trust the UN to do anything right?