The United Nations overpaid by as much as $5 billion to individuals, companies and Gulf states for losses in Iraq's 1990 invasion and occupation of Kuwait, auditors' documents showed on Sunday. The 19 internal audits of the UN Compensation Commission (UNCC) were posted on its Web site a day before a total of 56 audits were to be made public by an independent panel led by former US Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker. Senior UNCC officials strongly denied any overpayment and dismissed the auditors' conclusions, saying they had exceeded their mandate by delving into legal issues.
Volcker's panel is investigating the oil-for-food programme that the United Nations operated for Saddam Hussein's Iraq when the country was under international sanctions. The US Congress is probing alleged corruption in the programme. The 19 audits of the Geneva-based UNCC, carried out by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) from July 1997 to December 2004, do not identify any corruption. But the audits raised questions, mainly about evidence in approving awards for damages, and concluded overpayments had been made. Along with exchange rate and other issues, the audits pointed to a total overpayment of some $5 billion, officials said.
| How 'bout a look at the 'victims' list. |
The UNCC said it had issued the audits after being tipped the Volcker panel was going to make them public without including the UNCC's responses to each audit's findings. "Our goal is to show that the Office of Internal Oversight Services' audits have been easily rebutted," said UNCC deputy executive secretary Mike Raboin. "Since we are not part of oil-for-food, we are at a loss as to why these documents were given to the Volcker committee."
| Something about a foul stench emanating from under your door, Mike ... |
|