UN oil-for-food chief took Saddam bribes

[emad]

Suzanne Goldenberg in Washington and Ewen MacAskill
Friday February 4, 2005
The Guardian

The United Nations suffered grave damage to its international reputation yesterday after it emerged that the official who headed the oil-for-food programme for Iraq sought and obtained bribes from Saddam Hussein's regime.

In a highly critical report, Benon Sevan was rebuked for actions which were "ethically improper and seriously undermined the integrity of the UN".

"This is a painful episode for everyone in the UN," said the head of the investigation, former US Federal Reserve chief Paul Volcker.

He went on to accuse Mr Sevan of offering to use his influence at the UN in return for the granting of vouchers to purchase Iraqi oil at favourable prices on behalf of a small Panamanian-registered firm. "Mr Sevan created a grave and continuing conflict of interest," he said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1405833,00.html

[seriousstan]

1. This will only serve to slow the UN's Sudan effort.

Oh, strike that, the UN doesn't have any Sudan effort.

[Goldeneye]

2. At odds with this article I watched Volcker interviewed yesterday

And he made it clear that the investigation showed indications, though not conclusive evidence, that Sevan acted improperly. Volcker took pains to say that there were indications but no concrete infornmation.

[emad]

3. Britain implicated in oil-for-food scandal, damning report says

Britain implicated in oil-for-food scandal, damning report says
By David Usborne in New York
04 February 2005
The Independent

The British Government became directly involved in subverting the process for choosing companies to assist in the management of the United Nations' oil-for-food programme, intervening in 1996 on behalf of a London-based company that was ultimately granted the work, a report claimed yesterday.

The episode is an embarrassing revelation for the Foreign Office and is prominently described in an interim report released yesterday by former Paul Volcker, the US Federal Reserve Chairman, into allegations of widespread corruption in the running of the 6-year oil-for-food scheme.

Mr Volcker asserts there is "convincing and uncontested evidence that the selection process" for three main contractors at the time the programme was beginning "did not conform to established financial and competitive bidding rules".

The winning contractors were Banque National de Paris, Saybolt Eastern Hemisphere and the British company, Lloyd's Register Inspection Limited.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/story.jsp?story=607603

[Canuckistanian]

4. OK, now who profited?

Were there kickbacks and how much? So far, all I've seen are examples of mismangaement and lack of oversight on the UN's part.
I'd like to see the sum total of the amount supposedly "embezzeled" during this "scandal of the century" as the RW media call it.

[ynksnewyork2]

5. Looks like Savon will

face criminal charges as well.