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| 5/25 |
| 2004/4/22-23 [Politics/Foreign/MiddleEast/Iraq] UID:13339 Activity:nil |
4/22 More evidence of corruption in the UN's oil for food program:
http://tinyurl.com/2p4qw (abcnews.go.com)
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/2522209
\_ so, we still need the UN in Iraq, kickbacks are ok.
\_ This is just an orchestrated lynching by the Republicans to try
to discredit the U.N. Bush is just trying to smear an organization
that has the moral authority to stand up to his bullying.
\_ Well said! -- UN defender #1 fan
\_ hey, corruption is corruption. however, I would still have
preferred the U.S. not to have gone to war and found zilch
on WMD. Responsibility goes all the way to the top.
\_ Bingo! Sack Kofi Annan for corruption, sack Saddam Hussein
for being a dictator, and sack George W. Bush for lying to
get us to invade.
\_ Saddam was just greedy. He should have spread out the corruption
to cover more people like the current Iraqi government. Of course,
there's a lot more US money now than UN O4F money plus the US has
backed the idea of no accountability. US corruption is OK!
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/features/iraq/index.html
\_ I thought Financial Times or some other British media published
a report saying that as much as 20% of Iraq's recontruction fund
went to kickback and other thing.
\_ Hmm... let's compare the UN's handling of corruption with the
current administration's handling of leaks. The UN found out
about the corruption and immediately instigated it's own internal
inquiry. The WH found out about the "leak" and immediately
defended itself. The investigation turned serious, the UN decided
to appoint an independent investigator. The WH, after enormous
media pressure, finally decided to let John Ashcroft, that
independent and objective AG, investigate.
\_ Umm... The UN's handling wasn't THAT good. They tried to
to hide it and avoid it for years.
\_ Immediately? The rest of us knew years ago. I don't think the
word "immediate" means what you think it means. |
| 5/25 |
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| tinyurl.com/2p4qw -> abcnews.go.com/sections/WNT/Investigation/oil_for_food_ripoff_040420.html One year after his fall, United States 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. In what has been described as the largest humanitarian aid effort ever undertaken, the United States Oil-for-Food program began in 1996 to help Iraqis who were suffering under sanctions imposed following the first Gulf War. The program allowed Iraq to sell limited amounts of oil, under supposedly tight United States supervision, to finance the purchase of much-needed humanitarian goods. Most prominent among those accused in the scandal is Benon Sevan, the Cyprus-born United States undersecretary general who ran the program for six years. In an interview with ABCNEWS last year, Sevan denied any wrongdoing. Well, I can tell you there have been no allegations about me, he said. The second page of the letter contains a table titled Quantity of Oil Allocated and Given to Mr Benon Sevan. The table lists a total of 73 million barrels of oil as the quantity executed an amount that, if true, would have generated an illegal profit of as much as $35 million. Somebody who is running the Oil-for-Food program for the United Nations should not be receiving any benefit of any kind from a rogue dictator who was perpetuating terror in his country, said Hankes-Drielsma. Full Investigation Announced The United Nations, at first, dismissed the allegations about Sevan, but this week, Secretary General Kofi Annan said there would be a full investigation led by the former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank, Paul Volcker. We are going to investigate these allegations very seriously, Annan said during a press conference. In addition, Congress is scheduled to begin hearings into the bribery scandal this week. As for Sevan, when news of the scandal first broke earlier this year, he took a long vacation to Australia. He declined to answer questions when ABCNEWS found him last week staying at a luxury casino resort. A United States spokesman says Sevan, who makes $186,000 a year, has submitted his retirement papers, effective May 21. The spokesman said Sevan would remain on full salary through the course of the United States investigation, which is expected to last at least three months. Oil Contracts for Political Support The inquiries into the United Nations Oil-for-Food program result from the release in January of a list of 270 individuals, companies and institutions that allegedly received lucrative oil contracts from Saddam Husseins former regime in return for political support. The list was published by an Iraqi independent newspaper which claimed the document was discovered in the files of the former Iraqi Oil Ministry in Baghdad. Oil vouchers were allegedly given either as gifts or as payment for goods imported into Iraq in violation of the United States sanctions. |
| www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/world/2522209 UNITED NATIONS - The United States Security Council endorsed Wednesday the work of a United States-appointed panel investigating allegations of corruption in a former United States humanitarian program that allowed Iraq to sell oil to buy food, medicine and civilian goods. The United States resolution calls on the agency to cooperate with the three-member panel, which is headed by Paul Volcker, the former United States Federal Reserve chairman. But it would not compel companies or states suspected of paying kickbacks to Saddam Husseins government to answer the panels questions or turn over documents. Still, Volcker said he has sufficient authority to carry out a full, fair and conclusive investigation. He will provide a preliminary update on his findings in three months, but the probe would go on as long as necessary. Volkers panel was created last week to probe charges the head of the United States oil-for-food program and other United States officials illegally profited from it. The panel also will examine wider charges that Iraq received $44 billion in kickbacks from private companies for oil and humanitarian goods. Return to top Get a free $50 grocery card with your one-year subscription! |
| marketplace.publicradio.org/features/iraq/index.html The spoils of war add up to more than capturing expansive palaces and luxury cars. As Marketplace reporters have discovered, not all of the $22 billion being spent to rebuild Iraq is going where it should. Just about no one, and bribes and black marketeering are rampant, witnesses say. A leading anti-corruption group claims that massive amounts of United States money spent in Iraq is being lost to corruption. From Halliburton subsidiaries charging double for gas, Iraqi officials and Arabic translators unrestrained from pocketing millions of dollars, or even members of the interim governing Council accusing each other of taking tens of millions in bribes. Spoils of War was produced in cooperation with the Center for Investigative Reporting , with funding from The Economist magazine. Iraqs Reconstruction Boom: The troubles in Iraq continue to mount. More than 100 United States troops have died there so far this month, making April the deadliest for United States-led forces since the fall of Saddam Hussein. Occupation and Iraqi forces have been unable to establish security in Iraqs cities. Against this violent and unstable backdrop, the United States has embarked on its largest postwar reconstruction effort ever. American taxpayers are footing a more than $20 billion tab to build schools, bridges, houses and power grids in Iraq. The security crisis has slowed the reconstruction effort, but President Bush has vowed that his administration will not stop until the work is done. Even if there were no security problems, the reconstruction might not proceed as well as the administration hoped. Millions - possibly billions - of taxpayer dollars are disappearing in a web of bribes, kickbacks and price gouging. Where is the Money Going: Today the United nations Security Council unanimously approved an independent investigation into its oil-for-food program for Iraq. United States lawmakers claim that while Saddam Hussein was in power, billions of dollars were bled off in kickbacks to officials, activists and journalists from 46 countries. Though Saddam is gone, as is the oil-for-food program, there are signs the culture of corruption is intact. Yesterday, in our series The Spoils of War Marketplaces Adam Davidson looked at the looseness of the ledgers. Today, he walks the streets of Baghdad where, he says, the evidence of corruption is quite visible - if you know where to look. Thats how Republican Senator John McCain today described the process of bringing democracy to Iraq. During a speech in Washington, McCain said the recent escalation in violence was a wake-up call. All the recent security problems only add to the deep frustration Iraqis feel over the slow pace of reconstruction. When the war began more than a year ago, many Iraqis hoped the United States would free them not only from a cruel dictator, but also from an ugly history of corruption. But the United States is having its own difficulties with corruption in Iraq. Allegations that the giant oil company Halliburton overcharged the United States government have grabbed most of the headlines. The list of United States contractors under investigation by federal and congressional authorities is growing. We collaborated with the Center for Investigative Reporting on our special series The Spoils of War. |
| abcnews.go.com Thin Within How removing your "internal" fat could help keep you healthier. WNT: Photos of sex among US soldiers and prisoner abuse are shown to Congress. Defense secretary responds to critics who are calling for his resignation. More travelers and fewer screeners amount to longer lines at US airports. Lately there has been an explosion of glamorous royals marrying commoners. For RealOne Subscribers: Click here to get FREE video e-mails to your RealOne Player. Updated: 5:53am ET on May 14, 2004 Copyright 2004 ABCNEWS Internet Ventures. |