CRUDE AWAKENING FOR U.N. SLICKSTERS

New York Post ^ | 1/08/05 | NILES LATHEM

[kattracks]

EXCLUSIVE

WASHINGTON — Iraqi officials have recently implicated more U.N. staffers in bribe taking during the oil-for-food program in a development that could dramatically escalate pressure on the world body, The Post has learned.

Investigators from the House International Relations Committee said several current and former officials in Iraq's Oil, Health and Transportation ministries have told them that U.N. staffers assigned to the "661 Committee" — the U.N. Security Council group that oversaw sanctions and approved oil-for-food contracts — regularly took bribes and kickbacks from suppliers of aid to Iraq during the program.

The Iraqi ministry officials said the U.N. staffers, based in New York, were paid to accelerate approval of oil-for-food contracts or provide secret information on why certain suspicious contracts with Saddam Hussein's regime were blocked by the 661 Committee, investigators said.

[snip]

Information on why a "hold" was put on a contract would be invaluable to the supplier because "it could help them restructure the deals and teach them to hide things better," the congressional investigator added. So far, the only U.N. official who has been publicly accused of corruption is Benon Sevan, the former head of the oil-for-food program, who has been named in Iraqi Oil Ministry documents as having accepted sweetheart oil deals from Saddam. Sevan has denied the allegations.

[Mo1]

The Iraqi ministry officials said the U.N. staffers, based in New York, were paid to accelerate approval of oil-for-food contracts or provide secret information on why certain suspicious contracts with Saddam Hussein's regime were blocked by the 661 Committee, investigators said

FYI PIng

[kcvl]

bttt

[backhoe]

Click this picture & goto "last" for the latest UN scandals:

[sgtbono2002]

Every time something like this comes up Poor Mr. Voelker has to work harder to hide the truth.

[nopardons]

Woooooooooooooo hoooooooooooooooooooooooo! :-)

[Mo1]

I'm thinking they got some more explaining to do

[nopardons]

Lots and lots and LOTS more 'splainin' to do. I do believe there is a paper trail,in Iraq, and methinks it's going to come to light.

[somemoreequalthanothers]

Problem is, except for those of us that monitor this stuff, nobody knows about this story.
If it were a group of Republicans implicated, it would be the lead story all day, every day.

[kattracks]

Sad but true, although I don't think Sen. Coleman is going to let this one go.

[Lancey Howard]

Funny thing about Senator Coleman - - I get this impression that Coleman is an honest, straight arrow. He better watch his back in Dirty City because those kind of people are not welcome there.

[kipita]

This is like putting lipstick on a pig. I say it's time for bacon.

[Elkiejg]

Problem is, except for those of us that monitor this stuff, nobody knows about this story. If it were a group of Republicans implicated, it would be the lead story all day, every day.

True -- then it will up to the pajama clad bloggers to keep the story rolling. Hey, if we can bring down Rather - we can do the same to CoffeeCup Annan and his thugs.

[Mad Mammoth]

Funny thing about Senator Coleman - - I get this impression that Coleman is an honest, straight arrow. He better watch his back in Dirty City because those kind of people are not welcome there.

Ditto about Coleman. He strikes me as one of the original 'Mr. Smith Goes To Washington' types, and doesn't care who gets offended as long as the truth comes out.

And yes indeedy, I hope he's watching his back. It would be just like Kofi Anus and his goons to try and set up Coleman in some way to impugn his integrity and credibility.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Don't tell me that Voelker is making a killing too. LMAO

[shubi]

No, we don't care that billions were stolen by UN crooks. We only care about panties on terrorists heads.

[windchime]

The man tapped to lead an investigation into the U.N. Oil-for-Food scandal will not be able to effectively do his job, outgoing U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Danforth told FOX News on Friday.

Danforth: Volcker Doesn't Have Right Tools 

[Route101]

"food for oil" morphs into "big bucks for third world racketeers"....

[DainBramage]

Anybody but me waiting for the evidence of graft against Hans Blix and his boys to come out?

[Peach]

The Iraqi people must absolutely hate the UN.

I'd thought that everyone had heard about this scandal by now but I mentioned it to someone the other day who only watched ABC news and they didn't know what I was talking about.