Article

2004-10-17 International-UN-NGOs

UN oil for food chief faces inquiry into property deals

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Posted by Mark Espinola 2004-10-17 4:01:28 PM|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Muhahaha, great next after Sevan lets go get Kojo and Kofi, whos gonna stop us - the French? Ghanan's? Iraqi's. Let the hunting begin!

Posted by Shep UK 2004-10-17 4:11:11 PM|| 2004-10-17 4:11:11 PM|| Front Page Top

#2 Mike Sylwester will find the evidence "unconvincing"

Posted by Frank G 2004-10-17 4:24:30 PM|| 2004-10-17 4:24:30 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 lol :))

Posted by Shep UK 2004-10-17 4:26:53 PM|| 2004-10-17 4:26:53 PM|| Front Page Top

#4
Hey, something's wrong with my computer. I searched this article several times for the word "Annan" and didn't get a hit.

Also, if Ms. Sevan was "sacked" by Saddam Hussein or by Iraq's state oil company Somo, then that indicates to me that he was selected for his position by Hussein and Somo, not by Kofi (or Kojo) Annan.
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Posted by Mike Sylwester 2004-10-17 5:13:31 PM|| 2004-10-17 5:13:31 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 "My understanding is that we can indict him without lifting diplomatic immunity. Thatâs what we did with Noriega."

Of course, we had to invade Panama to get Noriega. What's Cyprus like this time of year?

Posted by BH 2004-10-17 5:18:55 PM|| 2004-10-17 5:18:55 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 Mike, I too find it strange that Kofi's middle name of "Atta" is not mentioned at all in those UN websites. It's mention in Wikipedia though. But we can guess why, can't we? Haha.

Posted by wits0 2004-10-17 5:29:19 PM|| 2004-10-17 5:29:19 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 Thank God for Kofi Kofi, we are indeed indeed indebted to him him.

I am Jimmuahman
and I drooled on this message.

Posted by Butros Butros Catuah 2004-10-17 7:23:26 PM|| 2004-10-17 7:23:26 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 Once again, through internal auditing the UN is unable to uncover any trace of wrongdoing that external investigators are able to establish.

Mike, do you not find it at all curious that Annan's son was employed by Cotecna during the critical contract issuance phases?

Aren't all political and diplomatic figures supposed to avoid, not only any direct conflict of interest, but even the appearance of a conflict of interest?

Kojo's proximity to such a significant cash conduit presents a most definite conflict of interest and one that should have raised significant warning flags for Annan from the outset. How were those flags ignored?

Posted by Zenster 2004-10-17 10:42:11 PM|| 2004-10-17 10:42:11 PM|| Front Page Top

#9
Annan's son was employed by Cotecna 13 months before the contract was issued. Then he left Cotecna to work for a consulting firm that did some consulting for Cotecna.

Before I form an opinion about whether there is a conflict of interest, I would want to know the following information:

* What did he do while he was employed on the Cotecna staff?

* What did the consulting firm do?

* What did he do while he was employed in the consulting firm?

* Dis his work in the consulting firm have anything to do with the oil-for-food program?

So far, I don't know the answers to those questions, so I don't know enough to say there's a conflict of interest -- or even an apparent conflict of interest.

+++++++++++++++

I suppose that Cotecna is a well-established firm that has been and is involved in many projects over the past years. The food-for-oil program, I suppose, is only one of many programs that Cotecna conducts.

I suppose that Cotecna frequently hires consulting firms for all kinds of reasons.

I suppose that Cotecna staff members often leave to work for consulting firms -- and vice-versa.

+++++++++++++++

Based on the information that is publicly available so far, it is ludicrous to conclude that Kofi or Kojo Annan have personally profited from the food-for-program.

Many formerly secret documents in Iraq have now been seized, and many Iraqi officials have been questioned. So far, to my knowledge, none of those sources of information has provided any evidence at all that Kofi or Kojo Annan personally profited from the vouchers -- directly or indirectly.
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Posted by Mike Sylwester 2004-10-17 11:48:33 PM|| 2004-10-17 11:48:33 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 Very funny. A hardworking, modestly-compensated UN official, eh? His NYC-area properties alone would probably fetch $4M on the market today:

-- a flat in Manhattan: ca. $900k.

-- a house in the Hamptons on Long Island: ca. $1.5M

-- a house in the nearby district of Rye: ca. $750k.

-- and a house on New Jerseyâs "Gold Coast": ca. $850k.

Tell Paribas to open up their accounts to the investigators, or else lose their NYS banking license. And tell us how much is in Sevan's numbered accounts.

Posted by lex 2004-10-18 12:52:26 PM|| 2004-10-18 12:52:26 PM|| Front Page Top

#11 Mike S-Even if Sevan is not proven to have made illegal dealings under Oil For Food, will you go so far as to assert that the UN is ethical and incorruptible? That it is a peace-promoting organization that we both benefit from and contribute to?

Misplaced loyalty.

Posted by Jules 187 2004-10-18 1:02:19 PM|| 2004-10-18 1:02:19 PM|| Front Page Top

#12 ...he said from his five-star hotel.

Does a UN hack know any other way?

Posted by tu3031 2004-10-18 1:07:53 PM|| 2004-10-18 1:07:53 PM|| Front Page Top

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