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Bomb kills oil-for-food auditor (occurred 7/1/04)
BBC News ^ | July 3, 2004 | Unknown

Posted on 07/07/2004 2:14:51 PM PDT by BMC1

An Iraqi official heading an inquiry into alleged corruption in the UN oil-for-food programme was killed by a bomb on Thursday, it has been revealed. The official, Ihsan Karim, died in hospital after a bomb placed under one of the cars in his convoy exploded.

The board he headed had been given independence from the government as it investigated commissions paid to members of the former regime.

In return, the regime allegedly gave billions of dollars worth of contracts.

The General Accounting Office of the US government has said that former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his associates raised some $4bn in illegal revenue by imposing oil surcharges and commissions on suppliers of goods to Iraq under the programme.

Mr Karim was appointed by the former head of the Coalition Provisional Authority, Paul Bremer, as head of the Finance Ministry audit board in April.

The board tasked international accountancy firm Ernst and Young with investigating commissions paid to the former government.

'Left on their own'

It was not clear whether Mr Karim had been targeted because of the investigation.

A spokesman for Ahmad Chalabi, the former financier and Iraqi opposition leader who has drawn attention to corruption in the programme, said the board was ill-equipped to handle the probe.

"The assassination of Mr Karim is very worrying," Zaab Sethna said. "Bremer appointed the audit board and left them on their own."

"It is impossible to speculate who killed Mr Karim, but the oil-for-food corruption involved very powerful people inside and outside Iraq," he added.

Under the oil-for-food programme, Iraq was allowed to sell limited quantities of oil to ease the impact of UN sanctions on its people.

Billions of dollars worth of goods flowed through the programme, which was managed from New York through the French bank Paribas.


TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: bombkillsoil; iraq; karim; oilforfood; un

1 posted on 07/07/2004 2:14:51 PM PDT by BMC1
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To: BMC1

Hmmm..getting too close to some damaging info.


2 posted on 07/07/2004 2:21:12 PM PDT by rj45mis
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To: BMC1

ROPMA


3 posted on 07/07/2004 2:22:37 PM PDT by ChadGore (Vote Bush. He's Earned It.)
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To: BMC1

Am I confused or is this the second guy to die, connected to the oil for food investigation?


4 posted on 07/07/2004 2:23:08 PM PDT by marron
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To: marron

Jacques must be ROFL right now!


5 posted on 07/07/2004 2:25:19 PM PDT by Mears
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To: BMC1

Direction Generale de la Securite Exterieure?


6 posted on 07/07/2004 2:33:05 PM PDT by Ditto ( No trees were killed in sending this message, but billions of electrons were inconvenienced.)
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To: BMC1

It looks like the UN connected criminals intend to play rough. This will only draw more attention to the investigation.


7 posted on 07/07/2004 2:33:19 PM PDT by telebob
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To: BMC1

Kofi knows Arkanside


8 posted on 07/07/2004 2:33:21 PM PDT by SF Republican
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To: marron
I don't remember...but I'm wondering why more governments around the world are so quiet.

I would like ALL THE NAMES OF COMPANIES INVOLVED IN THIS MESS NAMED.

I know the social liberal left in this country and the socialist liberal left media aren't interested in finding out the truth because they are as corrupt as the UN.

I wonder why so many countries and people continue to say the UN is this wonderful world body and we can't do without them.

The other day Jed Babbin was on C-Span talking about his new book on the UN and the first five callers gave him hell for saying bad things about the UN. For the whole time (40 minutes) Mr. Babbin was on C-Span, there were maybe 2 callers who agreed with him. The rest were from the socialist liberal left in this country. The same people who want Americans to trust them to run the country.

They should never be allowed to have power because they are going to get us killed.
9 posted on 07/07/2004 2:38:39 PM PDT by BMC1
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To: BMC1

Tip of the iceberg, I'm afraid.


10 posted on 07/07/2004 2:39:49 PM PDT by B Knotts
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To: BMC1

Looks like Kofi and Chirac and the rest of the UN lowlifes have no problem with murdering anybody that gets in their way.


11 posted on 07/07/2004 2:40:44 PM PDT by ArmyBratproud
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To: rj45mis

Well, isn't this convenient


12 posted on 07/07/2004 2:43:12 PM PDT by DaiHuy (MUST HAVE JUST BEEN BORN THAT WAY...)
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To: DaiHuy
The question:

Did Kofi smile at his son when he read this news?

13 posted on 07/07/2004 2:48:36 PM PDT by Sacajaweau (God Bless Our Troops!!)
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To: V-Eight

ping


14 posted on 07/07/2004 2:49:36 PM PDT by smokeyb
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To: BMC1

bump


15 posted on 07/07/2004 2:54:15 PM PDT by facedown (Armed in the Heartland)
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To: BMC1

The BBC article's statement that the bomb was placed unde one of the vehicles is a bit vague. Here's how the p. A9 New York Times story reported it on July 2:
"A different kind of bomb killed Ihsan Karim, the head of the Finance Ministry's audit board, said Colonel Abdul-Rahman. A magnetic device hidden on the underside of a car in Mr. Karim's convoy exploded after 8 a.m. in the Yarmouk neighborhood in central Baghdad, the colonel said."


16 posted on 07/07/2004 3:04:06 PM PDT by Steve Schulin (Cheap electricity gives your average Joe a life better than kings used to enjoy)
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To: Steve Schulin
This makes it sound like an assassination, not a random hit by a roadside bomb. The press has thus far been disinterested in the oil-for-food scandal because it doesn't have an obvious anti-Bush angle. On the surface, it would seem to embarrass the U.N. and probably France, and make Saddam look even worse, and none of those story lines have much appeal for the media; they don't resonate. Now, if Halliburton had profited from oil-for-food, it would be front page news every day.
17 posted on 07/07/2004 3:20:57 PM PDT by Steve_Seattle
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To: Steve Schulin

Wonder if it's the same type that attempted to assassinate the Musharuf..the Pakistan dude.


18 posted on 07/07/2004 5:52:33 PM PDT by Sacajaweau (God Bless Our Troops!!)
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To: Akira

Hmmmm,bump.


19 posted on 07/08/2004 10:15:34 AM PDT by LibertyThug (Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night.)
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