Posted on 05/05/2005 9:15:27 PM PDT by nextthunder
Defiant U.N. sleuth hands over oil-for-food papers
By Sue Pleming
WASHINGTON, May 5 (Reuters) - A former investigator for an independent inquiry into the U.N. oil-for-food program handed over potentially explosive documents on Thursday to a U.S. congressional committee, triggering outrage from inquiry head Paul Volcker.
Robert Parton, a lawyer and former FBI agent who resigned last month as senior investigative counsel for the inquiry, gave the documents to U.S. lawmakers even though he signed a confidentiality agreement when he was hired and certified when he left that he possessed no documents related to his work.
Congressional investigators speculate the documents could show that U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan misled Volcker, a former chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board, during the investigation.
Annan has repeatedly insisted he committed no wrongdoing, was truthful and withheld nothing from investigators.
Parton has told associates he felt Volcker's inquiry had been too soft on Annan when it looked into whether the U.N. chief interfered in the awarding of a lucrative contract in Iraq to the Swiss firm Cotecna, which employed his son Kojo.
But Volcker, in a statement and a series of letters made public late on Thursday, said his probe had overlooked no relevant evidence.
Volcker has argued that his investigation would be damaged if it could not be conducted in complete secrecy. He has promised to eventually turn over all his evidence, once secrecy was no longer required.
His investigators were initially expected to wrap up their work by June but now may go several months beyond that date.
The United Nations said Annan had withheld nothing.
"I don't know what Mr. Parton has handed over, but it is clear that the secretary-general has been extremely open with the Volcker investigation," U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. "They have had access to him a number of times, They have had access to all his files. He has given them everything."
Susan Ringler, Volcker's counsel, accused Parton and his lawyer, Lanny Davis, of ignoring her directives and said the committee was "reviewing this matter and its options."
"I am confident that our report contains all the relevant factual information gathered by my investigative team concerning Secretary-General Annan and his son," Volcker said. "It is only the inferences drawn from those facts that are subject to different conclusions."
U.N. officials said Parton, as a lawyer, could be disbarred for violating his confidentiality agreement or sued by the Volcker panel for providing the documents without permission.
Rep. Henry Hyde, chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives International Relations Committee, which has been probing the now-defunct $67 billion humanitarian program for Iraq, said Parton gave his committee the papers after getting a subpoena last Friday.
Attorney Davis said Parton had been told he would be held in contempt of Congress if he informed the Volcker panel or the United Nations of the subpoena before providing the documents.
Hyde provided no details about the papers' contents but said he hoped there would be no attempt by the Volcker panel or the United Nations to punish Parton.
The Volcker panel's most recent interim report, issued March 29, concluded there was no evidence Annan had interfered in the Cotecna contract award although it said he had been lax in looking into whether there had been a conflict of interest.
The report triggered a running battle between Annan critics and supporters over whether he had been exonerated or not.
The United Nations and several congressional committees looking into the oil-for-food scandal have been sparring for months over access to documents and witnesses.
The oil-for-food program, which began in late 1996 and ended in 2003, was set up by the U.N. Security Council to ease the impact of sanctions imposed on Iraq after Saddam Hussein's troops invaded Kuwait in 1990. Baghdad was allowed to sell oil to buy basic goods and could negotiate its own contracts.
After the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, Iraqi documents turned up listing hundreds of groups and individuals apparently bribed by Saddam to try to get the sanctions lifted.
The oil-for-food scandal: Congress vs. Volcker
Friday, May 6, 2005
Members of Congress want to know specifically why two senior investigators quit the United Nations committee probing the oil-for-food scandal. Committee chairman Paul Volcker believes it's none of their business.
Thus the stage has been set for a confrontation with Congress that may be quite unsettling for U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. And indications are that this time he won't emerge smelling like a rose.
Former senior investigator Robert Parton, subpoenaed by the House International Relations Committee, reportedly has turned over boxes of documents. Both Parton and another investigator, Miranda Duncan, have left Mr. Volcker's committee supposedly because it went too easy on Mr. Annan.
Last month Volcker's panel cleared Annan of involvement in awarding a $10 million-a-year inspection contract in Iraq to a Swiss firm that employed Mr. Annan's son, Kojo. Now a source close to Mr. Parton says the investigator wrote two drafts that were far more critical of Annan than what was released by Volcker's panel.
A spokesman for Volcker says he's not seeking diplomatic immunity to protect his panel. But, "to subpoena investigators would harm the integrity of the investigation."
The harm already has been done. It's now in Volcker's own interest to remove any doubts about his committee's work. That is, if he's not hiding anything.
Congress must continue to apply pressure. Silence only furthers suspicions that all is not as it should be on Team Volcker.
I want to know what Democrats recieved $$$....Bonior and McDermott for sure.
This Volker guy is a POS. Kofi ass kisser.
The MSM will report this as a witch hunt on behalf of those evil republicans trying to bring down a black man.
It's time to stick in and break it off if the documents prove it.
The UN must know some dirty secrets of Mr. Volker for him to sell his country out so blatantly.
I really think that a US Congressional Subpoena overrules any confidentiality agreements. It's time to pull the trigger on the UN, it has outlived it's usefullness. I think that this bunch of documents now in the hands of Congress might actually accomplish this. At least, I hope so.
No doubt he'll be hailed as an investigative hero on a par with Woodward and Bernstein. No doubt. Well, maybe a little doubt. Well, maybe a LOT of doubt. Oh Hell, the MSM will excoriate him, as Ron suggests in his post.
Mr. Volker work for the U.N
Being that the democrats just tried (and failed) to kill the Cisneros/Clinton crimes investigation, we can expect the dems to try and kill this too. They'll do whatever it takes to protect the UN from us evil Americans.
Good point. When will the "Reverends" show up to Kofi's defense?
Personally I don't know which will be more enjoyable: Kofi's resignation or BNP-Paribas having their banking license revoked by the SEC.
"...to subpoena investigators would harm the integrity of the investigation..."
Excuse me, kind sir, the investigation HAS no integrity. None at all.
Do you mean Henry Cisneros from San Antonio? I haven't heard about this. Is this recent?
Susan Ringler, Volcker's counsel, accused Parton and his lawyer, Lanny Davis, of ignoring her directives and said the committee was "reviewing this matter and its options."
Lanny Davis?
Hmmm.
Susan Ringler, Volcker's counsel, accused Parton and his lawyer, Lanny Davis
"hands over"
"handed over"
"gave the documents to U.S. lawmakers even though he signed a confidentiality agreement when he was hired and certified when he left that he possessed no documents related to his work"
"handed over"
"providing the documents without permission"
"Parton gave his committee the papers after getting a SUBPOENA last Friday"
"providing the documents"
Sue doesn't like this whistleblower. No mention that he was SUBPOENAED until paragraph 14 of 21.
You mean Lanny is actually doing the right thing for a change? This IS news.
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