United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced on April 21 the appointment of former US Federal Reserve System Chairman Paul Volcker to head an independent panel to investigate allegations of mismanagement in the Oil-for-Food Program in Iraq, and the UN Security Council unanimously backed his decision with a resolution calling for full cooperation from all involved.
The panel will have the authority to investigate whether the procedures established by the UN for the administration and management of the Oil-for-Food Program were violated; determine whether any UN officials, personnel, agents or contractors engaged in any illicit or corrupt activities while on the job and ascertain whether the accounts of the program were in order and were maintained in accordance with UN rules and regulations.
Other members of the panel are Justice Richard Goldstone of South Africa, who was the first chief prosecutor of the UN International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, and Mark Pieth of Switzerland, a University of Basel with professor of criminal law and criminology with expertise in international bribery and money-laundering.
The secretary general decided to launch the independent investigation in March after news media around the world reported allegations of fraud and corruption in the program, including overpricing and kickbacks to UN officials and high-ranking members of Saddam Hussein's regime in order to secure contracts. — (menareport.com)
© 2004 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
