ABC Says Saddam Stole Billions From U.N.

NewsMax.com ^ | 5/20/03 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

As Saddam Hussein was picking the U.N.'s pockets of billions of dollars, officials simply looked the other way, an investigation by ABC News has revealed.

An international investigation conducted by ABCNews uncovered widespread corruption in the U.N. Oil-for-Food Program involving from $2 billion to $3 billion in bribes and kickbacks from the program, massive graft U.N. officials told ABCNews they were powerless to stop. "Everybody knew it, and those who were in a position to do something about it were not doing anything," said Benon Sevan, the executive director of the Office of Iraq Program. When asked if that included him, Sevan told the network, "I have no power."

The program was intended to pay for food and medication to the Iraqi people from oil revenues, after the U.N.-imposed sanctions on Saddam to prevent him from selling Iraqi oil in punishment for his invasion of Kuwait in 1990. According to ABC, all money from the sale of oil was supposed to go into U.N. bank accounts in New York to buy food and humanitarian supplies.

The ABCNews investigation revealed that British businessman Swara Khadir found that when his company sought contracts to sell Iraqi oil, "We discovered that we had to bribe a lot of people, and because it was Iraqi oil we were talking about, it was bribing top Saddam officials."

While Khadir refused to go along [with the bribes], he kept the Iraqi documents instructing him in which Swiss and Jordanian bank accounts the bribe money should be deposited.

"They made no show of concealing it," he said, "because the U.N. was just turning a blind eye to it."

In another case, a Russian oil dealer actually complained to the United Nations that Saddam's son Uday took a $60,000 bribe but never came through with the oil contracts. The money was deposited in a bank in Amman, Jordan, in a private account for Uday, according to documents submitted to the United Nations last year but, ABC says, were never acted on by the Security Council.

"Of course it troubled me," said Sevan. "What do you think, I'm what you call a 'dodo' sitting here, what do you call, cold-blooded? Of course it bothers me."

U.N. officials told ABC the program was under intense scrutiny, but the Security Council permitted Iraq, not U.N. administrators, to select which companies were part of the program.

And many had obviously suspect backgrounds, including everyone "from Mafia to terrorists to money launderers to anybody that wanted to make a quick buck," human rights investigator John Fawcett told ABC.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

United Nations

[Lurker]

I'm shocked to find the UN involved in bribery and kickbacks, shocked I tell you.

L

[Dark Knight]

ABC's just getting around to reporting it? And they think there is no reason people are going to other networks for NEWS.

DK

[Ed_in_NJ]

RICO the UN.

[liberalnot]

wonder why they didn't see this before the war, and make it public?

[Shermy]

"because the U.N. was just turning a blind eye to it."

Because the UN was in on it.

[Arpege92]

Time to get out of the UN! Let them go off somewhere else and bribe terrorists!

[boomop1]

Stole billions from the USA in real terms, we must exit from the UN have it set up Hq in some 3rd world nation before we become one.

[Dutch Boy]

Why would such a honest man that obviously cares for his people take their money? I'm also shocked beyond belief.

Okay, so much for the NPR version.....

[ladyinred]

Didn't we already know this?
The UN is a joke, and one with immunity at that.

[ex-Texan]

Koffe must sumit the book for an audit !!

No audit = No U.N. !

End of transmission.

[blam]

Check that POS Kofi's account too.

[Rome2000]

Saddam's son Uday took a $60,000 bribe but never came through with the oil contracts

Come on, what the hell was he supposed to light his cigars with, food stamps?

[jagrmeister]

Someone needs to spell out specifically how the bribes were made. I'm assuming it is made to purchase oil from Iraq. They strike a deal- some goes through the UN, some goes through other bank accounts. The question is who's at fault. It seems the UN did not responsibly administer the program. The people that were hurt were the Iraqi people as a consequence of Saddam's corruption and UN incompetence. The Iraqi people were supposed to be the beneficiaries of oil-for-food and instead some of the money, at least (story says $2 to $3B) was diverted to Saddam and his cronies.

[dalebert]

I am so surprised. What is the world comming to. The UN is corrupt?

[Cicero]

Actually, the UN and Saddam (and France, Germany, and Russia) got together and stole millions from the fund that was supposed to provide food and medicine to the Iraqi people. They were all scratching each others' backs.

[lafroste]

...some of the money, at least (story says $2 to $3B) was diverted to Saddam and his cronies.

You don't steal that kind of loot with out help. Sure saddam and his cronies got some, but sure as h$ll, several very high ups at the UN got a bunch too. The UN is rotten to the core. ABC news could save themselves a lot of investigative trouble and just go after the french. Ol chirac is on the top of my guilty as sin list.

No wonder the Un stalled so much.

[leprechaun9]

I guess ABC News didn't get its share of the loot! That is probably why they are investigating it!

[Republican Wildcat]

is this really a surprise? corruption at the UN...Saddam stealing money that wasn't his...

[ohmage]

It sounds like the first step in shifting the focus and all the blame from Anan, the French, the Germans and the Russians to Hussein.

The global gangsters specialize in incremental evil.