Oil For Food scam coming apart

The Counterterrorism Blog links to a Financial Times story that reveals that Benon Saven, who ran the Oil For Food program personally directed the scam, something he has repeatedly denied.

The Financial Times has just reported that Iraqi officials have told Paul Volcker's U.N. inquiry staff that Benon Sevan, who ran the program, personally intervened to steer lucrative oil contracts to Africa Middle East Petroleum (AMEP), a Swiss-based oil trading company. Documents from Iraq's state oil marketing organisation, Somo, names AMEP as "the company that Mr Sevan cited" to the Iraqi oil minister after Mr. Sevan visited Baghdad in the summer of 1998, and Sevan's name appears thereafter in Somo documents, often next to that of AMEP.

Coupled with the news that Kojo Annan, Kofi Annan's son, has admitted that he was involved in brokering deals, it appears that UNSCAM is rapidly breaking loose.

THE son of the United Nations secretary-general has admitted he was involved in negotiations to sell millions of barrels of Iraqi oil under the auspices of Saddam Hussein.

Kojo Annan has told a close friend he became involved in negotiations to sell 2m barrels of Iraqi oil to a Moroccan company in 2001. He is understood to be co-operating with UN investigators probing the discredited oil for food programme.

The alleged admission will increase pressure on Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, who is already facing calls for his resignation over the management of the humanitarian programme.

Let's hope that the truth comes out and the guilty parties are held accountable. (Hat tip to Captain Ed.)