April 21, 2004

"Monumental Rip-Off?"

ABC has a long, worthwhile scoop on Oil For Food:

At least three senior United Nations officials are suspected of taking multimillion-dollar bribes from the Saddam Hussein regime, U.S. and European intelligence sources tell ABCNEWS.

One year after his fall, U.S. officials say they have evidence, some in cash, that Saddam diverted to his personal bank accounts approximately $5 billion from the United Nations Oil-for-Food program...

Most prominent among those accused in the scandal is Benon Sevan, the Cyprus-born U.N. undersecretary general who ran the program for six years...

The second page of the letter [found by ABC in the Iraqi Oil Ministry --LW] contains a table titled "Quantity of Oil Allocated and Given to Mr. Benon Sevan." The table lists a total of 7.3 million barrels of oil as the "quantity executed" � an amount that, if true, would have generated an illegal profit of as much as $3.5 million...

Other Iraqi government documents have been suspected of being or have been shown to be false, so it's not an open and shut case.

Saddam Hussein diverted huge sums from the �60 billion United Nations oil-for-food programme for the poor and sick of pre-war Iraq to foreign governments and vocal supporters of his regime worldwide, the US Congress heard yesterday.

Senior UN, French and Russian officials were alleged to have connived at the scandal...

Sully has an excerpt from a 3/02 interview with Sevan here. (search for the 4/21 4:03pm entry if that link doesn't work)

Posted to Iraq at April 21, 2004 09:36 PM

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