Corruption of the Oil for Food Program

This WSJ Opinion Journal article comes as no surprise. The UN Oil for Food program was corrupt as can be. Year ago the New York Times had reported that the Oil for Food program money was largely unaccounted for, said to be in three European banks, where nobody could check the funds except certain UN officials. The Iraqi Governing Council appointed an investigator,

What he saw in Baghdad left him shocked. "As a result of my findings here, combined with earlier information," he wrote, "I most strongly urge the U.N. to consider appointing an independent commission to review and investigate the 'Oil for Food Programme.' Failure to do so might bring into question the U.N.'s credibility and the public's perception of it. . . . My belief is that serious transgressions have taken place and may still be taking place."

In reference to the recently released list of people taking Saddam's oil bribes, the article reveals another big name, the head of the UN Oil for Food Palaces program.

One of the most eye-catching names on the list is easy to miss as it's the sole entry under a country one would not normally associate with Iraq--Panama. The entry says: "Mr. Sevan." That's the same name as that of the U.N. Assistant Secretary-General Benon V. Sevan, a Cyprus-born, New York-educated career U.N. officer who was tapped by Kofi Annan in October 1997 to run the oil-for-food program.

Everyone's known that the Food for Oil program was a scam, and really just a Palaces and Weapons for Saddam program.

In the seven years that Oil-for-Food was operational, (it was shut down in November and its obligations are being wound up) Saddam was able to skim off funds for his personal use, while at the same time doing favors for those who supported the lifting of sanctions, supplied him with his vast arsenal of weapons, and opposed military action in Iraq.

That would be France and Russia, if anyone is interested. France even got more oil bribes than Syria, and Syria is right next door.

Throughout most of the program's life, Mr. Sevan's office seemed to see no evil. When overwhelming evidence finally surfaced that Oil-for-Food had become a gravy-train for the Iraqi regime, U.N. officials acknowledged some of the abuses but refused any of the blame. Criticism is routinely portrayed as politically motivated.

Why does that not surprise me? Much of the UN operating revenue came from strangling the Iraqis and propping up a genocidal dictator. They wouldn't want to rock the boat now would they?

But the U.N. has resisted calls for an independent investigation into abuses.

Heaven forbid that a flashlight should shine on the activities at the UN. They'd have to scatter like cockroaches, looting the cafeteria as they flee. Getting back to the investigator appointed by the Iraqis, he's been sending letters to the UN.

He catalogs questions on areas "which need urgent investigation," e.g. "Why did the U.N. approve oil contracts to non-end users?" His letter alleges that "not less than 10% was added to the value of all invoices to provide cash to Saddam . . . why was this not identified and prevented?" The letter also asks "What controls were in place to monitor BNP [the French bank] who handled the bulk of the LCs, the total value of which may have [been] in the region of $47 billion?"

I wonder if any of the $47 billion found its way to Chirac and his now convicted croanies? Sacre Bleu! Could Chirac possibly have yet another concurrent scandal brewing???

In a June 2000 statement on Oil-for-Food, Mr. Sevan said, "As [Mr. Annan] put it recently, we, as international civil servants, take our marching orders from the Security Council." It might have been more accurate to acknowledge the U.N. took its marching orders from Saddam.

Exactly. What good is a United Nations if it's been bought off by one of the world's worst rogue regimes?