Oil-For-Food deal diplomat may face US court

David Nason, New York correspondent
February 07, 2005
THE Cypriot-born diplomat who allegedly corrupted the UN's oil-for-food program by doing secret deals with Saddam Hussein's Iraq could be prosecuted under state laws in New York.

Reports last night suggested that 85-year-old Manhattan district attorney Robert Morganthau would launch a formal criminal investigation into the conduct of Benon Sevan, who ran the $US64 billion ($82.84 billion) program from the UN's New York headquarters from 1997 until its end in 2003.

It was unclear whether Mr Morganthau's inquiry would be independent or whether it had been formally requested by UN special investigator Paul Volcker.

It was also unclear whether the UN had decided to lift Mr Sevan's diplomatic immunity, a step demanded last week by Republican senator Norm Coleman, the chairman of the Senate Permanent Committee on Investigations."

www.theaustralian.news.com.au...

Great day isn't it. Libs are leaving, and the UN just keeps on proving its corrupt irrelevance. I how the fry this guy, and Koffi, and Butros biy too.

Hey Dr. H. I notice that those on the waaaaaaaaay left are
ignoring the massive corruption at their beloved U.N. Where
are they? No comments here from them? I guess it must
be nice to live life with your head stuck in the sand like an
osterich, eh?

What is amazing is that there are still some politicians
(Kennedy, Kerry) who haven't woken up to the facts about
the U.N. For ANYONE to say - 'take it to the UN' ... all I
can say is ....

Originally posted by FlyersFan
Hey Dr. H. I notice that those on the waaaaaaaaay left are
ignoring the massive corruption at their beloved U.N. Where
are they? No comments here from them? I guess it must
be nice to live life with your head stuck in the sand like an
osterich, eh?

Well when you go through the 5 or 6 antiUN BULL SH** threads it takes time.
Also since when is any orginisation free from curruption?

What is amazing is that there are still some politicians
(Kennedy, Kerry) who haven't woken up to the facts about
the U.N. For ANYONE to say - 'take it to the UN' ... all I
can say is ....

Funny that you believe the american led propaganda, of "the UN is anti christian and evil.
Hell your leader thinks its anti christian and is evil so it should be destroyed, also this shows how america is not only parrt of the curruption but has quite a sizeable ammoutn of money stolen, and shows how the US cares not for "diplomacy" or for "diplomatic imunity" funny the US really is begining to look more and more nazi as we speak.

Originally posted by devilwasp
..... also this shows how america is not only parrt of the curruption but has quite a sizeable ammoutn of money stolen, and shows how the US cares not for "diplomacy" or for "diplomatic imunity" funny the US really is begining to look more and more nazi as we speak.

care to back that up? how about some links...........

Originally posted by devilwasp
Funny that you believe the american led propaganda,
of "the UN is anti christian and evil.

Funny how we are discussing the massive UN corruption
and you can't stay on topic or defend the UN. It's
apparently undefendable.

Originally posted by DrHoracid
care to back that up? how about some links...........

The source you qouted says he is american, so therefore american involvement.
Also "It was also unclear whether the UN had decided to lift Mr Sevan's diplomatic immunity, a step demanded last week by Republican senator Norm Coleman, the chairman of the Senate Permanent Committee on Investigations."

Funny how we are discussing the massive UN corruption
and you can't stay on topic or defend the UN. It's
apparently undefendable.

Actually I am trying to point out how the UN is bad but not as bad as the alternative as your trying to put forward.
Also might I add you are insulting the UN right? Just to get that out of the way..

Originally posted by DrHoracid
care to back that up? how about some links...........

You want links to show that the US was complicit in this scandal?

Here you go:

Documents: U.S. condoned Iraq oil smuggling
(CNN) -- Documents obtained by CNN reveal the United States knew about, and even condoned, embargo-breaking oil sales by Saddam Hussein's regime, and did so to shore up alliances with Iraq's neighbors.

The oil trade with countries such as Turkey and Jordan appears to have been an open secret inside the U.S. government and the United Nations for years.

The unclassified State Department documents sent to congressional committees with oversight of U.S. foreign policy divulge that the United States deemed such sales to be in the "national interest," even though they generated billions of dollars in unmonitored revenue for Saddam's

regime.

You may want to read through some of the links in the article below to see how well the US handled Iraqi money after they took over:

The Oil-for-Slush Scandal

Various figures within or connected to the UN are supposed to have taken how much in corruption from the Oil for food program in Iraq?

Compared to, oh let's see, well how about how much the US extracted from Iraq since the war ended, hmmm?

Anyone got the slightest idea?

2 wrongs don't make a right but I'm willing to bet the US takings make the alleged UN 'corruption' (cos it is only allegations so far, right?) look like small loose change.

Oh sheesh. This isn't about the UN's corruption or lack of efficiency. It's pretty convenient for the Americans that the oil-for-food scandal pops up just in time to allow them to discredit the countries who opposed the war in Iraq (and, to judge by the posts on this board, the people in these countries as well).

To say that the entire UN organization is irrelevant is simplistic. There is a lot more to the UN than peace missions and whatnot. However, what else there is in the UN is what the American right would consider socialism - programs for the promotion of culture, women, children's health, etc.

No wonder they want that nonsense dismantled! Plus, the UN is in the way of the neocons' U.S. hegemony ambitions...