UN Oil for Food investigation
From
Roger L. Simon comes this link to this article in
The Daily Telegraph:
bq.
UN caves in on inquiry into its Iraq oil-for-food 'scandal'
The United Nations has bowed to international pressure to investigate allegations of corruption surrounding its oil-for-food programme, under which Iraqi oil was sold on behalf of Saddam Hussein's regime.
bq. The move follows claims that UN officials were caught up in a reward system set up by Saddam, which apparently granted proceeds from the sale of million of barrels of oil to friendly politicians, officials and businessmen around the world.
bq. Iraq's new governing council has hired the accountants KPMG and the international law firm, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, to investigate claims that large sums of money - which should have been spent on food and medicine for ordinary Iraqis - were diverted through oil "vouchers" to line pockets abroad.
Roger's comment is so true:
bq. Too bad this is going to be an internal investigation by their own oversight committee. A scandal of this dimension could only be resolved by an examination by respected and impartial outside parties. That is not easy to do, but it is hard to imagine the UN doing a thorough job of investigating itself--and even if it did, the appearance of bias alone would leave too many questions. In any case, we will all know more later this week after the formal announcement.
It is great that the Iraqi people are calling for this - that was money taken from them, from their children. That was money diverted from humanitarian aid and spent on palaces and posh life for Saddam's supporters.
Posted by DaveH at March 15, 2004 10:20 AM