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| International-UN-NGOs |
| The Oil-for-Food Scandal: the program was corrupt, the U.N. owes the Iraqis an explanation |
| 2004-03-11 |
| by Therese Raphael, Wall Street Journal Severely EFL -- go read the whole thing. "If there is evidence, we would investigate it very seriously," Kofi Annan insisted last month when presented with allegations that U.N. officials knew about and may have benefited from Saddam Hussein’s corruption of the U.N.’s Oil-for-Food Program. Fortunately, Saddam appears to have been a stickler for record-keeping. A letter has come to The Wall Street Journal supporting allegations that among those favored by Saddam with gifts of oil was Benon Sevan, director of the U.N.’s Oil-for-Food Program. As detailed on this page on Feb. 9, Mr. Sevan’s name appears on a list of individuals, companies and organizations that allegedly received oil allocations or vouchers from Saddam that could then be sold via middlemen for a significant markup. The list, compiled in Arabic from documents uncovered in Iraq’s oil ministry, included many of Saddam’s nearest and dearest from some 50 countries, including the PLO, pro-Saddam British MP George Galloway, and French politician Charles Pasqua. (Messrs. Galloway and Pasqua have denied receiving anything from Saddam.) According to the list, first published by the Iraqi daily Al Mada in January, Mr. Sevan was another beneficiary, via a company in Panama known as Africa Middle East Petroleum, Co. Ltd. (AMEP), about which we have learned quite a bit. Mr. Sevan, through a U.N. spokesperson, has also denied the allegation. But the letter, which two separate sources familiar with its origins say was recovered from Iraqi Oil Ministry files, raises new questions about Mr. Sevan’s relationship with Iraqi authorities. There’s a lot of detail in the article--detail at the mine-eyes-are-glazing-over level--about Panamanian shell companies and interlocking directorates and cozy relationships between Mr. Sevan and various shady characters. It sure looks like a lot of people at least associated with the UN were on Saddam’s payroll--which more than explains the reluctance of that body to sign on to regime change. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #8 Dan / Mike / gromky - They "cookie" your browser when you register. If you wipe out your cookies or block cookies, but are registered, you have to login. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-3-11 10:12:02 PM |
| #7 the article is not available unless registered....Mike are you already registered...probably why you are able to get through.... |
| Posted by: Dan 2004-3-11 8:35:54 PM |
| #6 Gromky: It didn't do it to me, probably because I'm a regular reader at the site. Just give 'em an e-mail address. WSJ doesn't sell your e-mail to spammers, so there's no downside. |
| Posted by: Mike 2004-3-11 11:43:39 AM |
| #5 Hmm...I click on the link and I get "We are asking everyone who reads Today's Featured Article to register for access to the article." |
| Posted by: gromky 2004-3-11 11:18:37 AM |
| #4 Yup. This baby's got legs... I sure hope it doesn't get covered up to protect the guilty. They need to be exposed. But it probably will. |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-3-11 10:57:06 AM |
| #3 Gromky: The article's at WSJ's "OpinionJournal" site, which is free and open to all. |
| Posted by: Mike 2004-3-11 10:41:51 AM |
| #2 Site is restricted access only. Please provide necessary usernames and passwords when posting these kinds of articles. |
| Posted by: Gromky 2004-3-11 9:57:08 AM |
| #1 Roger Simon, National Review and Instapundit have been on this. We Americans (who pay 1/4th of the UN budget) need to demand an open-books policy and independent audit. Note the connection to Kofi's offspring .... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2004-3-11 9:43:41 AM |