The latest corruption scandal in the UN-system

[Savage]

Norway mum on Iraqi bribes Source

A secret report from the Swedish foreign ministry claims that Norwegian officials were aware of the bribes and kickbacks around the UN's now defunct "Oil for Food" program in Iraq, but kept quiet for fear of being blacklisted by Iraq.

Ole Peter Kolby was Norway's ambassador to the UN and led the sanctions committee, but didn't blow the whistle on bribes and kickbacks in the UN's "Oil for Food" program.

The report is written by Gunnar Blom of the Swedish delegation to the UN. Blom had been assigned to investigate what the UN and various countries knew about the kickbacks that Iraq demanded.

The report was obtained by Sweden's national radio (Sveriges Radio) and revealed on Tuesday.

Norway led the UN sanctions committee in 2001, and was responsible for making sure that Iraq – still under Saddam Hussein at the time – and the companies dealing with Iraq didn't violate the sanctions.

But the Swedish foreign ministry report claims the Norwegians didn't blow the whistle on illegal fees charged by Iraq as part of the UN's "Oil for Food" program. An official UN inquiry into the scandal last year claimed that more than 2,000 companies that did business with the UN's "oil-for-food" program were involved in bribes and kickbacks that allowed Saddam Hussein's sanctions-bound regime to divert nearly $2 billion.

Many of the companies were Swedish. Blom wrote that "the Norwegian delegation was well aware of the Iraqi demands, but was in doubt about taking up the issue in the committee."

Blom claimed the Norwegians believed that would result in certain "Iraq-friendly countries" immediately wanting to know which country or company was blowing the whistle. "If that were revealed, it probably would have resulted in an Iraqi blacklisting of the country or company," he wrote.

'No proof'
The sanctions committee was headed by Norwegian diplomat Ole Peter Kolby, now Norway's ambassador to Denmark. Kolby reportedly conceded at the time that there were rumours of kickbacks, but no proof of them. As long as no companies complained about them, Kolby said, he couldn't go further in probing them.

"We had no concrete evidence," Kolby told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) on Tuesday, when questioned about the Swedish report. "There were no firms that came forth and said they were being charged (illegal fees). But there were strong rumors that such fees were being demanded."

Kolby noted that "it was Iraq who decided who should get the contract, it wasn't the UN or the sanctions committee. Iraq wanted to place the contracts with those countries that were the friendliest towards Iraq."

The British and Dutch delegations at the UN also reportedly knew about the kickbacks. Blom's report claims Dutch officials even said that the kickbacks were "a well-known secret, but no one will do anything about them."

Caught in the middle
Henrik Thune of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) told Aftenposten.no Tuesday that the Swedish report indicates that Norway didn't feel it had freedom to take action.

"The main reason the corruption wasn't taken up, was that it involved big companies in countries that are members of the UN Security Council," Thune said. "This was an issue that no one wanted to be formally handled."

He thinks there are two other reasons why Norway failed to blow the whistle.

One was the internal debate within the Bush Administration at the time between those who wanted regime change in Iraq and those who wanted to continue with sanctions against Iraq. If fraud was revealed within the "Oil for Food" program, it could have been used as an argument in favour of those advocating an invasion of Iraq. Norway opposed the US-led invasion that eventually took place.

In addition, fraud within the "Oil for Food" program could have brought it to a halt, making the humanitarian situation in the country even worse.

"In reality, Norway found itself in a hornets nest of large countries' politics, large companies' interests and the humanitarian situation in Iraq," Thune said. "I don't think Norway really had any freedom to act, and the criticism should be directed at the superpowers within the UN Security Council."

More on the scandalous UN " Food for oil-programme"

[Savage]

This is old, but to keep memory fresh, and to not forget about the potential perspectives. Also Kofi need something to retreat on? It costs a black boy to uphold the taste for white females, champain and expensive suits and cars.

And honestly, do you really believe that an organization lead by a negro married to a white female could be something else than soaked with corruption?

Annan is a puppet, and have showed no backbone when crisis have knocked on the doors. Exept of prepearing the conditions for his family to enrich themselves, the good ol` african way.

Kofi Annan's son admits role in oil-for food scam Source

American critics say U.N. officials 'vampire-like' in their fear of truth.

Despite previous statements to the contrary, the son of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is now said to admit he did indeed play a role in the scandalized oil-for-food program with Iraq, and that's prompting a call for his testimony before the U.S. Congress.

London's Sunday Times reported Kojo Annan "admitted he was involved in negotiations to sell millions of barrels of Iraqi oil under the auspices of Saddam Hussein."

He purportedly told a friend he became involved in talks to sell the oil to a Moroccan company in 2001, and is said to be cooperating now with investigators delving into the program.

In December, Kojo Annan had issued a written statement to CNN, denying any such dealings.

"I have never participated directly or indirectly in any business related to the United Nations," his statement read.

In light of the disclosure, a California-based group leading the effort to get the U.N. out of the United States is calling upon both Kofi and Kojo Annan to testify before U.S. congressional investigators regarding their roles in the oil-for-food scam.

"U.N. officials have become vampire-like in their fear of the light of truth," said Melanie Morgan, co-chairman of Move America Forward. "Well, it is time for them to stop running and hiding and face accountability for their corruption and attempts to cover it up."

While Saddam Hussein was still in power, the oil-for-food program allowed the Iraqi dictator to buy humanitarian supplies under supervision of the U.N. It has since been revealed that corruption was rampant within the program, as Saddam used its funds to purchase influence with political leaders around the world.

According to the Times, it's Kojo's connections to Hani Yamani, the son of Sheikh Yamani, the wealthy former Saudi oil minister who set up OPEC, that are under scrutiny.

Yamani lined up a deal four years ago to sell some $60 million in Iraqi oil to a Moroccan company, and Kojo is alleged to have traveled to Morocco to help seal the deal.

"He was just trying to do Hani a favor," a friend of the younger Annan told the Times. "Believe me, Kojo is as straight as they come. In the end the deal never went through because Hani was trying to make an unrealistic profit."

Another source, close to Yamani's business Air Harbour Technologies, told the paper: "Hani Yamani liked to surround himself with the great and the good. Kojo was a very passive executive and I always thought he basically lent his name to the firm. The Annan name obviously has a certain presence when you are putting together deals in Africa."

Move America Forward has produced a series of television commercials, to help spread the word about corruption at the U.N., and co-chairman Howard Kaloogian says this revelation is telling to say the least.

"With each news cycle we learn that more and more of what we were previously told by the U.N. is an ever-growing pile of false statements and fabrications," said Kaloogian.

"The only way to get to the truth is to compel Kofi and Kojo Annan to come clean about their oil-for-food dealings with U.S. investigators."