Not at a good time at all
NEW YORK CITY, August 9 – Coming at a very bad time for the U.N. several high-ranking officials have now been exposed as being on the take. The most prominent being Benon Sevan, the former head of the U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq. While Iraq had been sanctioned with several economical and political restrictions they were allowed to trade oil for food and medicine for the people. Somehow Hussein managed to negotiate the option to choose which buyers and sellers would be included, giving him the power to use his oil as a way to buy friends and influence. Among those allegedly bribed are several high-ranking European politicians. Quite the achievement I would say.
Sevan has been suspected of corruption for a while now but until now there had been no direct evidence indicting him to this crime. Only after a commission was assembled, led by former head of the American Federal Reserve Paul Volcker, real progress towards solid claims were made. In February he already delivered a report which indicated that Sevan often met with president of the oil company AMEP, a beneficiary of Hussein’s oil vouchers. It also exposed around $160,000 in suspicious bank deposits, which Sevan claimed to be from an aunt. I wonder if he still believes in the tooth fairy too.
This week’s report gives details about many of these meetings, it also exposes the fact that a certain Fred Nadler, close friend to Sevan, is actually a director of the oil company AMEP. Nadler controlled a Swiss bank account in the name of a shell company which received pennies off of each barrel of oil that was sold. Everytime Sevan or Nadler were in Geneva money was withdrawn out of the account and then deposited into one of Sevan’s accounts a few days later. Vockler has insisted that this is sufficient evidence that Sevan indeed benefited from corruption. Secretary-General Annan has been requested to remove Sevan from diplomatic immunity so he will be liable for prosecution. Annan has agreed to do this, and took the claims of corruption very hard.
