August 07, 2005
Rats leaving the U.N. ship: Head of oil-for-food resigns
Head of oil-for-food resigns
BENON Sevan, the former head of the UN oil-for-food programme in Iraq, has resigned from the world body and criticised UN chief Kofi Annan for "sacrificing" him as he faced an inquiry into his role in the scandal-plagued aid scheme, his lawyer said Sunday.
Sevan had retired from the United Nations but remained a UN staff member receiving only a symbolic salary of one dollar a year in order to maintain his diplomatic immunity. He had also been suspended in February.
Sevan's lawyer Eric Lewis said in a statement that Sevan wrote a personal letter to Annan expressing his disappointment in Annan's "failure to defend the historic achievements of the Oil-for-Food Programme.
[This is funny!
Comedy Central should offer him a show!--Jen]
[...]
Sevan, who Lewis said had worked closely with Annan for 40 years, also maintained his innocence.
An independent panel, led by former US Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, probing the oil-for-food program determined in February that Sevan had received large payments of cash, as well as allocations of Iraqi oil.
Sevan's conduct created "a grave and continuing conflict of interest" and seriously undermined the integrity of the United Nations, the panel said in its interim report.
[This is to laugh!
Who thinks the U.N. has any integrity left to undermine?--Jen]
[...]
The Volcker panel's final report is due next week, and Sevan has been informed that it will contain a new allegation that he took money from a contractor which bought oil from Iraq under the now defunct program.
The program ran from 1996 to 2003, when US-led forces invaded Iraq to oust then-president Saddam Hussein. It allowed Baghdad to sell oil in exchange for humanitarian goods the country lacked due to sanctions, but the Iraqi government swindled millions of dollars from the program.
Hmmm.
The evidence must be so damning, even Volcker can't cover for Sevan anymore.
I wonder if he loses his diplomatic immunity, as well, now that he's resigned...
Hope Sen. Norm Coleman or NY Atty. Gen. Spitzer are preparing indictments soon, so maybe we can get Georgie "Lord HawHaw" Galloway, as well, in the dragnet.
And if Sevan goes, can Kofi be far behind?
Make popcorn.
This will be interesting and lots of fun: we know they did it so all that's left is for the perps to either admit it or to have it proven, perhaps in a court of law.
Meanwhile, where are the billions the U.N. stole from the Iraqi people?
