ABC Scoop on UN Scandal: "Monumental Rip-Off?"

ABC ^ | Apr 21, 2004 | Brian Ross

[The Raven]

April 20 — At least three senior United Nations officials are suspected of taking multi-million 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.

In what has been described as the largest humanitarian aid effort ever undertaken, the U.N. 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 U.N. supervision, to finance the purchase of much-needed humanitarian goods.

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.

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. "Maybe you can try to dig it out." And in a Feb. 10 statement, Sevan challenged those making the allegations to "come forward and provide the necessary documentary evidence" and present it to U.N. investigators.

But documents have surfaced in Baghdad, in the files of the former Iraqi Oil Ministry, allegedly linking Sevan to a pay-off scheme in which some 270 prominent foreign officials received the right to trade in Iraqi oil at cut-rate prices.

"It's almost like having coupons of bonds or shares. You can sell those coupons to other people who are normal oil traders," said Claude Hankes-Drielsma, a British adviser to the Iraq Governing Council.

Investigators say the smoking gun is a letter to former Iraqi oil minister Amer Mohammed Rasheed, obtained by ABCNEWS and not yet in the hands of the United Nations.

[freeangel]

ABC and scoop in the same sentence? Someone is pulling your tail. hahhah

[ATOMIC_PUNK]

"Investigators say the smoking gun is a letter to former Iraqi oil minister Amer Mohammed Rasheed, obtained by ABCNEWS and not yet in the hands of the United Nations."

Your comments ("U.S. and European intelligence sources tell ABCNEWS") were better than mine. Brian Ross and ABCNews apparently think they're really on to something now! Various reporters have already had this out there for at least a year.

NOT my comments

[Ben Hecks]

Your knowledge base is amazing. Thanks.

[D-fendr]

Abu Al Abbas: 11.5 million

File under:
Iraq is not part of the War on Terror.

Abu al-Abbas

1. The interrogation of terrorists from Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) squads arrested in 2001-2002 during the intifada, and documents captured in Operation Defensive Shield demonstrate that the Iraqi regime employs the Palestinian Liberation Front, an organization with a rich terrorist attack record, as an arm for carrying out terrorist attacks in Israel, including strategic quality attacks.

2. PLF squad activists arrested by the Israeli security services revealed in their interrogation that they trained in military camps in Iraq, including in the Republican Guard base in Tikrit. They stated that Iraqi intelligence personnel were directly responsible for their instruction and briefing. In addition, the instruction and guidance process involved PLF leader Abu al-Abbas and Bassam al-Ashqar (Abu Mustafa), a senior PLF leader, who was previously a member of the terrorist squad that kidnapped the Achille Lauro passenger ship and was subsequently arrested in Italy.

[NormsRevenge]

[SuziQ]

Why am I not surprised?

[WhiteBTX]

I think support is growing for a plan to bulldoze the UN into the East River.

[Tailback]

Hopefully a month before the election we will know all those around the world and in America who were bribed by the mass murderer, the $oddomite.

I've got money on "Baghdad" Jim McDermott as being a recipient of bribe money. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if he went over there to tell Saddam to move all the WMD out of Iraq to make dubya look bad.

[Tailback]

ping!

[piasa]

Any links here between the oil for food program and Clinton's oil deals back when he was selling off our oil reserves to his cronies? How about Gore's Occidental petroleum? If the Clinton admin was screwing with the oil biz in the US reserves selloff, he wouldn't be above dipping into Iraq's, too, would he?

[Alamo-Girl]

Indeed, we'll probably find some curious connections...