U.N. OIL BIZ HIRED KOFI SON

New York Post ^ | 3/18/04 | NILES LATHEM

[kattracks]

March 18, 2004 -- WASHINGTON - The son of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan worked for a company the United Nations hired to police the notoriously corrupt Iraq oil-for-food program, raising new questions about the role of top diplomats in the growing bribery scandal. Fred Eckhard, spokesman for the secretary-general, confirmed yesterday that Annan's son, Kojo, worked for three years for the Swiss company, Cotecna, which the United Nations hired in 1999 to inspect food and medicine being shipped into Iraq under the program.

[ken5050]

The leverage that the US will be able to employ is that the UN wants us to loan/give them a few bilion for their new building and a makeover of the old one...we should refuse to help them until they own up on this,with an audit.This is the type of issue that a few conservative Hosue members will get in front of and ride hard. It has legs..

[bray]

$Million will buy alot of Coffee!! I bet Dan Rather Old will be all over this tonite. No wait, W looked at somebody the wrong way!

Pray for W and The Truth

[EQAndyBuzz]

Blame it on Halliburton. Who wants to bet that the Socialists lay this whole thing at Cheney's feet?

[NaughtiusMaximus]

Why O' Why do we keep squandering our tax dollars on this Union of Thieves and Parasites, the UN? Notice how OBL did not fly his planes into the UN building? He knows who his friends are.

[cake_crumb]

"The son of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan worked for a company the United Nations hired to police the notoriously corrupt Iraq oil-for-food program, raising new questions about the role of top diplomats in the growing bribery scandal."

No UNapproved blood for oil....

[ModelBreaker]

Good to see this getting more coverage. I thought the press was going to ignore it.

I suspect it will die. Not because of the press. But because odds are W is using the threat of exposing the really juicy stuff to accomplish other ends. Right now, he could destroy the UN in the eyes of the American public. They know it. He knows it. Without US dues, the UN is a fly by night organization. W is holding all the cards in this one.

Doubt we'll ever know what the quid pro quo is for stopping the investigation. But I doubt W is ready to bring down the UN. Wish he were.

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

Bump for UN corruption tracking!

[thatcher]

But questions have arisen about how Cotecna managed to get the contract when its CEO, Robert Massey, was, at the time, under indictment in Switzerland in a bribery and money laundering case involving former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

Cotecna offered a bid that was $1 million lower than any of its 13 competitors.

Charges of corruption, smuggling and delivery of rotten food have been leveled against the program.

[mmknight]

Looks like as of 5/22/04 "Leaked report" per Fox News, that the Fox has been guarding the hen house.

[InterceptPoint]

But questions have arisen about how Cotecna managed to get the contract when its CEO, Robert Massey, was, at the time, under indictment in Switzerland in a bribery and money laundering case involving former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

What a stupid question.

Anyone with half a brain can see that Robert Massey had the only important qualification required to win this contract, namely the willingness to pay the necessary bribes. Why this would raise quesions is beyond me. Don't people realize how business is done when you are dealing with other peoples money and, most importantly, are a member of the Officially Annointed Elite. This is simply Entitlement Major, a natural right of the U.N. Kings.

[kcvl]

I missed it. What did it say?