UN Officials Corrupt

An investigative panel is urging criminal prosecutions against two former UN officials it accuses of corruption in the oil-for-food program in Iraq. The panel, led by former U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, accuses the former head of the UN program, Benon Sevan, and a UN procurement officer, Aleksandr Yakovlev, of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes and kickbacks.

The panel accuses Sevan of taking about $150,000 in bribes.

Aleksandr Yakovlev collected about $950,000 in kickbacks.

Kofi Annan and his son, Kojo, continue to be investigated for possible improprieties involving the contract procurement process and Cotecna.

U.S. investigators charge that Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime profited by nearly $10 billion from corruption in the program.

That's the UN's contribution to the failed "containment policy" toward Iraq.
-- LynZee

Update: Yakovlev was taken into U.S. custody, where he pleaded guilty to bribery, wire fraud and money laundering charges. Mr. Sevan, however, maintains his innocence.