Citizendia

The Oil-for-Food Programme, established by the United Nations in 1995 (under UN Security Council Resolution 986)[1] and terminated in late 2003, was intended to allow Iraq to sell oil on the world market in exchange for food, medicine, and other humanitarian needs for ordinary Iraqi citizens without allowing Iraq to rebuild its military. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security UN Security Council Resolution 986 was issued on 14 April, 1995, creating the Iraqi Oil-for-Food Programme. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit Food is any substance usually composed primarily of Carbohydrates Fats water and/or Proteins that can be eaten or drunk by an Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the

The programme was introduced by United States President Bill Clinton's administration in 1995, as a response to arguments that ordinary Iraqi citizens were inordinately affected by the international economic sanctions aimed at the demilitarisation of Saddam Hussein's Iraq, imposed in the wake of the first Gulf War. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States The United States Presidency of Bill Clinton, also known as the Clinton Administration, was the executive branch of the Federal Economic sanctions are domestic penalties applied by one country (or group of countries on another for a variety of reasons Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( Arabic: ar صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي --> April 28 1937 &ndash December 30 The sanctions were discontinued on November 21, 2003 after the U. Events 164 BC - Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family restores the Temple in Jerusalem. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. S. invasion of Iraq, and the humanitarian functions turned over to the Coalition Provisional Authority. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA سلطة الائتلاف الموحدة was established as a Transitional government following the [1]

As the programme ended, there were revelations of corruption involving the funds.

Contents

Background and design

The Oil-for-Food Programme was instituted to relieve the extended suffering of civilians as the result of the comprehensive sanctions on Iraq from the UN, following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. UN Security Council Resolution 661 adopted by the UN Security Council at its 2933rd meeting on 6 August 1990. The State of Kuwait ( دولة الكويت IPA [dawlatt̪ alkuwajt̪]) is a sovereign Arab Emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed

UN Resolution 706 of August 15, 1991 was introduced to allow the sale of Iraqi oil in exchange for food. A United Nations resolution (or UN resolution) is a formal text adopted by a United Nations (UN body Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. [2]

UN Resolution 712 of September 19, 1991 confirmed that Iraq could sell up to $1. A United Nations resolution (or UN resolution) is a formal text adopted by a United Nations (UN body Events 335 - Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar by his uncle Constantine I. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 6 billion in oil to fund an Oil-For-Food Programme. [3]

After an initial refusal, Iraq signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in May 1996 for arrangements to be taken for the implementation of that resolution. A memorandum of understanding ( MOU or MoU) is a Document describing a Bilateral or multilateral Agreement between parties

The Oil-for-Food Programme started in December 1996, and the first shipments of food arrived in March 1997. Sixty percent of Iraq's twenty-six million people were solely dependent on rations from the oil-for-food plan.

The programme used an escrow system. Escrow is a legal arrangement in which an asset (such as Cash, Real property or other tangible assets is deposited into safekeeping (e Oil exported from Iraq was paid for by the recipient into an escrow account possessed until 2001 by BNP Paribas bank, rather than to the Iraqi government. BNP Paribas () is one of the main Banks in Europe. It was created on 23 May 2000 through the merger of Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP and Paribas The money was then apportioned to pay for war reparations to Kuwait, ongoing coalition and United Nations operations within Iraq. War reparations refer to the monetary compensation intended to cover damage or injury during a war The State of Kuwait ( دولة الكويت IPA [dawlatt̪ alkuwajt̪]) is a sovereign Arab Emirate on the coast of the Persian Gulf, enclosed The remainder, the majority of the revenue, was available to the Iraqi government to purchase regulated items.

The Iraqi government was permitted to purchase only items that were not embargoed under the economic sanctions. In international Commerce and politics, an embargo is the prohibition of commerce Certain items, such as raw foodstuffs, were expedited for immediate shipment, but requests for most items, including such simple things as pencils and folic acid, were reviewed in a process that typically took about six months before shipment was authorized. A pencil is a Writing or Drawing instrument consisting of a thin stick of Pigment (usually Graphite, but can also be coloured pigment or Folic acid (also known as Vitamin M and Folacin) and Folate (the Anionic form are forms of the water-soluble Vitamin B9 Items deemed to have any potential application in chemical, biological or nuclear weapons systems development were not available to the regime, regardless of stated purpose.

Financial statistics

Over US$65 billion worth of Iraqi oil was sold on the world market. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. About US$46 billion of these funds were intended to provide for the humanitarian needs of Iraqi people such as food and medicine in the context of international economic sanctions. Humanitarianism is an active belief in Humanism (the idea of the value of human life whereby Humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans Food is any substance usually composed primarily of Carbohydrates Fats water and/or Proteins that can be eaten or drunk by an Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the Economic sanctions are domestic penalties applied by one country (or group of countries on another for a variety of reasons A considerable amount was spent for Gulf War reparations through a compensation fund (25 percent since December 2000); UN administrative and operational costs for the programme (2. 2 percent) and costs for the weapons inspection programme. United Nations Special Commission ( UNSCOM) was an inspection regime created by the United Nations to ensure Iraq 's compliance with policies concerning Internal audits have not been made public. [4]

Initial support and criticism

The programme was conceived as a way of mitigating the impact of the sanctions against Iraq on ordinary Iraqis. The most fundamental criticism of the programme was that this was a stop-gap solution that was bound to strengthen Saddam Hussein's position, potentially preserving the survival of his government.

Alternatively, if the sanctions were too harmful for Iraqis to sustain, critics argued, the sanctions should be removed (excepting clearly military items). Critics claimed that the Oil-for-Food Programme was responsible, under the blockage of dual-use equipment, for preventing Iraq from repairing the water purification and medical systems destroyed by the initial sanctions and during 1991 Gulf War, and others challenged the programme on the grounds that it would not permit Iraq to import the food and medicine necessary to prevent millions of easily preventable deaths. Dual-use is a term often used in Politics and Diplomacy to refer to Technology which can be used for both Peaceful and Military aims Former programme heads such as Hans von Sponeck questioned whether the sanctions should exist at all. Von Sponeck, speaking in University of California at Berkeley in late 2001, decried the proposed "Smart Sanctions", stating, "What is proposed at this point in fact amounts to a tightening of the rope around the neck of the average Iraqi citizen"; claimed that the sanctions were causing the death of 150 Iraqi children per day; and accused the US and Britain of arrogance toward Iraq, such as refusing to let it pay its UN and OPEC dues and blocking Iraqi attempts at negotiation. The University of California Berkeley (also referred to as Cal, Berkeley and UC Berkeley) is a major research university located in Berkeley

Supporters viewed the programme as a way to keep Saddam Hussein in check without resorting to war.

The Clinton Administration opposed further liberalization of the proposal, which was pursued by both Iraq and France.

End of the programme

Shortly before US and British forces invaded Iraq, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan suspended the programme and evacuated more than 300 workers monitoring the distribution of supplies. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia The Secretary-General of the United Nations is the head of the Secretariat, one of the principal organs of the United Nations. Kofi Atta Annan, GCMG (born 8 April 1938 is a Ghanaian Diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations

On 28 March 2003, Secretary-General Annan, the United States, and Britain asked the Security Council to ensure that nearly US$10 billion in goods Iraq ordered and already approved, including US$2. Events 37 - Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. 4 billion for food, could enter the country when conditions allow. The resolution under discussion made clear that the chief responsibility for addressing humanitarian consequences of the war would fall to the United States and Britain if they took control of the country. This refers to the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention on the responsibilities of the occupying power. The Fourth Geneva Convention (or GCIV) relates to the protection of Civilians during times of War " in the hands " of an enemy and under

On 22 May 2003, UN Security Council Resolution 1483 granted authority to the Coalition Provisional Authority to use Iraq's oil revenue. Events 334 BC - The Greek army of Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of the Granicus. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. United Nations Security Council Resolution 1483 was adopted by a vote of 14 to zero (with Syria absent on 22 May 2003. The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA سلطة الائتلاف الموحدة was established as a Transitional government following the The programme's remaining funds of $10 billion were transferred over a 6 month winding-up period to the Development Fund for Iraq under the Coalition Provisional Authority's control; this represented 14% of the programme's total income over 5 years. In May 2003 following the invasion of Iraq in March of that year the Central Bank of Iraq-Development Fund for Iraq (DFI account was created at the U

The programme was formally terminated on 21 November 2003 and its major functions were turned over to the Coalition Provisional Authority. Events 164 BC - Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family restores the Temple in Jerusalem. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA سلطة الائتلاف الموحدة was established as a Transitional government following the [2]

Abuse

In addition to criticism of the basic approach, the programme suffered from widespread corruption and abuse. Throughout its existence, the programme was dogged by accusations that some of its profits were unlawfully diverted to the government of Iraq and to UN officials. These accusations were made in many countries, including the US and Norway. [3]

Benon Sevan of Cyprus, who headed the programme, defended it, claiming that it had only a 2. Benon Vahe Sevan (born December 18, 1937 Nicosia, Cyprus) was the head of the United Nations ' Oil-for-Food Programme, established Cyprus (Κύπρος transliterated: Kýpros,; Kıbrıs officially the Republic of Cyprus (Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία Kypriakī́ Dīmokratía 2% administrative cost and that it was subject to more than 100 audits (internal and external), blaming restrictions from the Security Council for making the situation difficult. He also claimed that 90% of Iraq's population relied on the programme for its monthly food basket. While Benon Sevan was in charge of the programme, he stonewalled efforts to review and investigate the programme. [4] He ordered his staff that complaints about illegal payoffs should be formally filed with the whistleblower's country, making them public and allowing Iraq to bar any whistleblowers. This is an article about a term For the 2008 RTÉ drama see Whistleblower (TV series. In 2000, Dileep Nair, the UN corruption watchdog, wanted to determine the programme's level of vulnerability. Dileep Nair was the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services and head of the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services. Sevan, along with UN Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette, rejected any such investigation, claiming that it would be too expensive to be worthwhile. Louise Fréchette, OC, (born July 16, 1946) was United Nations Deputy Secretary-General for eight years and a long-time Canadian Sevan ordered the shredding of years' worth of documents concerning the programme. [5]

In response to these criticisms, and to evidence acquired after the United States invasion of Iraq, UN Secretary-General ] accusations were made that skimmed profits were being used to buy influence at the UN and with Kofi Annan himself. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia Kofi Atta Annan, GCMG (born 8 April 1938 is a Ghanaian Diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations

According to an interim report released on February 3, 2005 by former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker's commission (see #Investigations below), much of the food aid supplied under the programme "was unfit for human consumption". Events 1112 - Ramon Berenguer III of Barcelona and Douce I of Provence marry uniting the fortunes of those two states Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Paul Adolph Volcker (born September 5, 1927 in Cape May New Jersey) is an American Economist The report concluded that Sevan had accepted nearly $150,000 in bribes over the course of the programme, and in 2005 he was suspended from his position at the United Nations as a result of the investigation of fraud in the programme. [5]

Peter van Walsum, the now-retired Ambassador of the Netherlands to the United Nations and chairman of the Iraq sanctions committee from 1999 to 2000, speculated in a recent book that Iraq deliberately divided the Security Council by awarding contracts to France, Russia, and China but not to the United Kingdom and the United States. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the He also stated he encountered a number of cases in which he felt the lack of Iraqi cooperation was designed to exacerbate the suffering of its own people. He also claimed that it was his opinion that the sanctions were not an effective deterrent.

Until 2001, the money for the Oil-for-Food Programme transited through the BNP Paribas bank, whose main private share-holder is Iraqi-born Nadhmi Auchi, a man estimated to be worth about $1 billion according to Forbes, and ranks 13th in Britain according to The Guardian. BNP Paribas () is one of the main Banks in Europe. It was created on 23 May 2000 through the merger of Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP and Paribas Nadhmi Auchi ( Arabic:نظمي أوجي is a British Billionaire Businessman who was born in Iraq. The Guardian (until 1959 The Manchester Guardian) is a British Newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. Auchi received a 15-month suspended sentence for his involvement in the Elf scandal, which has been qualified by the British newspaper as "the biggest fraud inquiry in Europe since the Second World War. Elf Aquitaine was a French Oil company which merged with TotalFina to form TotalFinaElf. Elf became a private bank for its executives who spent £200 million on political favours, mistresses, jewellery, fine art, villas and apartments". [6] Elf, an oil company, merged with TotalFina to become Total S.A. in 2003. Total SA () is an oil company headquartered in Paris, France, and one of the six " Supermajor " oil companies in the world Total SA () is an oil company headquartered in Paris, France, and one of the six " Supermajor " oil companies in the world

al Mada list

One of the earliest allegations of wrongdoing in the programme surfaced on 25 January 2004, when al Mada, a daily newspaper in Iraq, published a list of individuals and organizations alleged to have received oil sales contracts via the UN's Oil-for-Food Programme. Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " The list came from over 15,000 documents which were reportedly found in the state-owned Iraqi oil corporation, which had close links to the Iraqi Oil Ministry.

Named in the list of beneficiaries were British MP George Galloway and his charity, the Mariam Fund; former French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua; and Shaker al-Kaffaji, an Iraqi-American businessman who contributed US$400,000 to produce a film by ex-UN inspector Scott Ritter discrediting the weapons searches. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located George Galloway (born 16 August 1954 in Dundee) is a Scottish Politician, author and talkshow host noted for his Left-wing views confrontational style Charles Pasqua (born 18 April 1927, Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes) is a French Businessman and Gaullist Politician Shakir al Khafaji (born 1955 is a Detroit -based Iraqi-American businessman involved in the United Nations Oil for Food scandal William Scott Ritter Jr (born July 15 1961 is noted for his role as a chief United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq from 1991 to 1998 and later for his India's foreign minister was removed from office because of his role in the scandal. Many prominent Russian firms and individuals were also included on the al Mada list. Even the Russian Orthodox Church was supposedly involved in illegal oil trading. The former assistant to the Vatican secretary of state, Reverend Jean-Marie Benjamin, is said to have received rights to sell 4. The Rev Jean-Marie Benjamin is a Priest who once worked as an assistant to the Vatican secretary of state and became an activist for lifting Iraqi sanctions 5 million barrels (720,000 m³). George Galloway subsequently won two libel actions against the Christian Science Monitor and Daily Telegraph, which reported the allegations. The Christian Science Monitor (CSM is an international Newspaper published daily Monday through Friday For "The Daily Telegraph" in Australia see The Daily Telegraph (Australia. [6][7]

The president of Oilexco Ltd, Arthur Millholland, whose name also appeared on the al Mada, list denied any wrongdoing, but confirms the charges that illegal surcharges were being paid to the Iraqi government by contractors. [8] However, the al Mada list does not discuss bribes paid to Iraq - it discusses bribes paid to individuals so that they would support Iraq. Few deny that in Iraq, like in many third-world countries, bribes and kickbacks were regularly paid to the leadership in order to get contracts, but some suggest that kickbacks would normally not occur in such countries when a UN-run programme was involved.

Operation of the scheme

The scheme is alleged to have worked thusly: individuals and organizations sympathetic to the Iraqi regime, or those just easily bribed, were offered oil contracts through the Oil-for-Food Programme. These contracts for Iraqi oil could then be sold on the open world market and the seller was allowed to keep a transaction fee, said to be between $0. 15 and $0. 50/barrel (0. 94 and 3. 14 $/m³) of oil sold. The seller was then to refund the Iraqi government a certain percentage of the commission.

Contracts to sell Iraq humanitarian goods through the Oil-for-Food Programme were given to companies and individuals based on their willingness to kick back a certain percentage of the contract profits to the Iraqi regime. Companies that sold commodities via the Oil-for-Food Programme were overcharging by up to 10%, with part of the overcharged amount being diverted into private bank accounts for Saddam Hussein and other regime officials and the other part being kept by the supplier.

The involvement of the UN itself in the scandal began in February 2004 after the name of Benon Sevan, executive director of the Oil-for-Food Programme, appeared on the Iraqi Oil Ministry's documents. Benon Vahe Sevan (born December 18, 1937 Nicosia, Cyprus) was the head of the United Nations ' Oil-for-Food Programme, established Sevan allegedly was given vouchers for at least 11,000,000 barrels (1,700,000 m³) of oil, worth some $3. 5 million. Sevan has denied the charges.

BNP

The sole bank handling funds transfers for the Oil-for-Food Programme was the New York branch of the Banque Nationale de Paris-Paribas, or BNP Paribas. This French bank was the sole bank administering the $64 billion UN programme. An investigation by the US House Committee on International Relations found that BNP Paribas made payments without proof that goods were delivered and sanctioned payments to third parties not identified as authorized recipients. The US House Committee on Foreign Affairs, also known as the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives Investigators estimate that the bank received more than $700 million in fees under the UN programme that began in 1996 and ended after the ousting of Saddam in March 2003.

Duelfer investigation

The Duelfer report, released on 30 September 2004, described in a key finding the impact of the Oil-for-Food Programme on Saddam's regime:

• The introduction of the Oil-For-Food Programme (OFF) in late 1996 was a key turning point for the Regime. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " OFF rescued Baghdad’s economy from a terminal decline created by sanctions. The Regime quickly came to see that OFF could be corrupted to acquire foreign exchange both to further undermine sanctions and to provide the means to enhance dual-use infrastructure and potential WMD-related development. [vol. I, p. 1]

The final official version of the report cites only France, Russia and China (countries who were also strongly anti-war) as violators who paid kickbacks The Duelfer report's list (volume 1, annex B, p. 302) of all "Known Oil Voucher Recipients" includes each recipient's nationality, as well as a chart broken down by nationality (figure 16, p. 166). The list indicates that 30 percent of the recipients were Russian; 15 percent were French; 10 percent were Chinese; 6 percent each were Swiss, Malaysian, and Syrian; and 4 percent each were Jordanian and Egyptian. American and German recipients were included in the approximate 20 percent of "recipients from other nations. "

On June 5th, 2007, the German chapter of the anti-corruption organisation Transparency International (TI) lodged a complaint with the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) against 57 German companies for allegedly paying $11. 9m in kickbacks in the United Nations’ Oil for Food Programme in Iraq.

Oil coupons as bribes

The US-funded satellite network Al Hurra broadcast a story on January 6, 2005 detailing allegations that Saddam's regime had bribed news reporters with oil coupons. Alhurra ( Arabic: الحرّة strict transliteration al-Ḥurra ɛ̈l ħʊrrɛ̈ "The Free One" is a United States -based satellite TV Reporters named include Ahmed Mansour of Al Jazeera and Hamida Naanaa, a writer based in France and known for her pro-Saddam slant. For the English-language channel see Al Jazeera English Al Jazeera (الجزيرة al-jazīrah,, meaning "The Island" Two types of oil coupons were used: silver coupons that entitled holders to nine million barrels of oil, and gold coupons that were worth more. Hamida Naanaa is said to have received a gold coupon. [9]

Complaints by Kurds

The Kurds had complained since the start of the programme that they were not being paid their fair share of the oil revenues. According to the guidelines set up by the Oil-for-Food Programme, the revenues were to be divided up in such a way as to protect Iraq's predominantly Kurdish regions. The allegations include claims that the Cairo office of the UN's World Health Organization, run by an individual alleged to have received oil sales contracts, managed to stall the building of a new general hospital for the Kurdish city of Sulaymaniya, even though the funds for the project had been available since 1998. Sulaimaniya ( BGN: Kurdish: سلێمانی, Slêmanî, Sulaimānīyah;) is a city

Potential Annan link

On June 14, 2005, two 1998 memos surfaced that appeared to link Kofi Annan to Cotecna Inspection S. Events 1276 - While taking exile in Fuzhou in southern China, away from the advancing Mongol invaders, the remnants of the Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A. The first one described a meeting between Annan and Cotecna while the company was bidding on the programme, after which the company raised its bid. A second one mentioned that Cotecna was confident that they would get the bid due to "effective but quiet lobbying" in New York diplomatic circles. Lobbying includes all attempts to influence Legislators and officials whether by other legislators constituents or organized groups The source of the documents was a Cotecna executive.

Involvement of Russian intelligence

According to high-ranking Russian SVR defector Tretyakov, the Oil-for-Food program was sabotaged by an undercover Russian intelligence officer Alexander Kramar who worked in the UN. Foreign Intelligence Service ( Russian: Служба Внешней Разведки (or SVR) is Russia 's primary external intelligence agency Colonel Sergei Tretyakov (born 5 October 1956. in Moscow USSR is a former Russian SVR officer who defected to the United States Kramar set up the artificially low oil prices in 1998 to allow Saddam to use the oil vouchers as lucrative bribes. The difference between the market price and the artificial price (defined by Kramar) was pocketed by people who received the vouchers from Saddam. Among the bribed were top officials from Russia, France, and China [7]. The biggest part of vouchers (to buy 1,366 billion barrels (217,200,000,000 m³) of oil) went to forty-six individuals or organizations in Russia, including Russian Orthodox Church. See also Eastern Orthodox Church Structure and organization The Slavic Orthodox Church is organized in a hierarchical structure They pocketed $476 million [7]. Among Russians who received the money were Alexander Voloshin and Vladimir Zhirinovsky. Alexander Staliyevich Voloshin (Александр Стальевич Волóшин (born March 3 1956 is a Russian Politician who briefly was chairman of the Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky (Влади́мир Во́льфович Жирино́вский born April 25, 1946 as Vladimir Volfovich Eidelstein) Sergei Isakov, a buddy of Voloshin, carried bags with money from Moscow to Baghdad to return some of the "earned" money as kickbacks to Saddam [7].

Allegedly used to finance Al-Qaeda

The scandal engulfing the United Nations Procurement Department and the Oil-for-Food Programme allegedly involved Al-Qaeda finance operations. Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa`ida or al-Qa`idah, ( Arabic:; ar-Latn ''al-qāʿidah'' Translation: The FOX News broke the story that Alexander Yakovlev, a Russian official in the UN Procurement Department, was involved; he later resigned and pled guilty to corruption charges. Alexander Yakovlev may refer to Alexander Yevgenievich Yakovlev (1887-1938 modernist painter Alexander Nikolaevich Yakovlev, so-called One link was to Ahmed Idris Nasreddin, a man designated as a terrorist financier by the US and the UN. The UN has named Nasreddin as a man "belonging to or affiliated with Al Qaeda. Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa`ida or al-Qa`idah, ( Arabic:; ar-Latn ''al-qāʿidah'' Translation: The " Petra Navigation Group was a company that was on the blacklist of firms blocked from doing business with the U. S. for sanctions-busting activities designed to help Saddam's regime. [10]

Allegations against George Galloway

The U. S. Subcommittee on Investigations claimed that British Member of Parliament George Galloway, among others, was the recipient of approximately $600,000 of illegal oil kickbacks from the Iraqi regime. George Galloway (born 16 August 1954 in Dundee) is a Scottish Politician, author and talkshow host noted for his Left-wing views confrontational style During testimony before the committee on May 17, 2005, Galloway stated that the charges were false and part of a diversionary "smoke screen" by pro-Iraq war U. Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. S. politicians designed to deflect attention from the "theft of billions of dollars of Iraq's wealth. . . " that had occurred under the post-invasion Coalition Provisional Authority. A later October 25, 2005 report [11] prepared by the subcommittee's majority staff claimed to have evidence that Galloway was "false or misleading" during his Senate testimony, and further that his then-wife (since divorced) received some of the kickbacks. Events 1147 - The Portuguese, under Afonso I, and Crusaders from England and Flanders conquer Lisbon after a Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [12] A second new element to the accusations is the subcommittee's claim that former Iraqi foreign minister Tariq Aziz, imprisoned without charges in a secret location since early 2003, has verified them. Mikhail Yuhanna (ميخائيل يوحنا Mīḫāʾīl Yūḥannā) later and more popularly known as Tariq Aziz or Tareq Aziz, (طارق عزيز However, Aziz's lawyer Badia Aref states, "these are lies . . . he (Aziz) denied this. "[13] Galloway continues to deny wrongdoing and challenged the Subcommittee's chairman, Senator Norm Coleman, to charge him with perjury. Norman Bertram "Norm" Coleman Jr (born August 17, 1949) is an American politician who has served as a U [14].

Oil for wheat

A report by UN investigator Paul Volcker, released in October 2005, found that the Australian Wheat Board, later AWB Limited, was the biggest single source of kickbacks. AWB Limited ( is the Australian former monopoly company that oversees the exports of Grain, particularly Wheat. In exchange for trouble-free disembarkation of wheat purchased under the Oil-for-Food Programme, the Australian Wheat Board paid 'trucking charges' totalling $AU300 million to Alia. Alia is a real Jordanian trucking company, but one with no role in the distribution of Australian wheat in Iraq. Alia kept a small percentage of 'charges', and passed the remainder to Saddam's government. The AWB was fully compensated for the charges by increases in the price paid; the payments were approved by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ( DFAT) is a department of the Commonwealth Government charged with advancing the interests of Australia and The Australian Government commissioned judge Terence Cole to further investigate whether Australian companies had indeed paid kickbacks to the Saddam regime. The Cole Inquiry commenced in December 2005 and is expected to hand down its findings in late 2006. The Cole Inquiry, formally the Inquiry into certain Australian companies in relation to the UN Oil-For-Food Programme was a Royal Commission set up by the The Cole Inquiry has received testimony from senior Australian Government officials, including Prime Minister John Howard, Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and various officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. During the course of the inquiry numerous AWB officials have resigned, including Managing Director Andrew Lindberg. Andrew Lindberg (born Scotland circa 1954 BSc, BComm, MBA, FAICD ( Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors) is an Australian [15][16][17][18][19]

Investigations

GAO investigation

After the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and subsequent Coalition victory over the Iraqi army, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) was given the task of finalizing all Oil-for-Food related supply contracts made with the now-defunct regime as well as tracking down the personal fortunes of former regime members. The Government Accountability Office ( GAO) is the Audit, Evaluation, and investigative arm of the United States Congress. [20] During the execution of this task, the GAO found weaknesses in the programme that allowed kickbacks and other sources of wealth for Saddam Hussein.

The GAO estimates that the Saddam Hussein regime generated $10. 1 billion in illegal revenues. This figure includes $5. 7 billion from oil smuggling and $4. 4 billion in illicit surcharges on oil sales and after-sales charges on suppliers. The scale of the fraud was far more extensive than the GAO had previously estimated. A U.S. Department of Defense study, cited by the GAO, evaluated 759 contracts administered through the Oil-for-Food Programme and found that nearly half had been overpriced, by an average of 21 percent [21]. The United States Department of Defense ( DOD or DoD) is the federal department charged with coordinating and supervising all agencies and functions of the government Unlike the 661 committee, members of the Security Council had the authority to launch investigations into contracts and to stop any contract they did not like. The British and the Americans had turned down hundreds of Oil-for-Food contract requests, but these were blocked primarily on the grounds that the items being imported were dual-use technologies.

To quote the GAO report, in its summary:

Both the U. N. Secretary General, through the Office of the Iraqi Programme (OIP) and the Security Council, through its sanctions committee for Iraq, were responsible for overseeing the Oil-for-Food Programme. However, the Iraqi government negotiated contracts directly with purchasers of Iraqi oil and suppliers of commodities, which may have been one important factor that allowed Iraq to levy illegal surcharges and commissions.

Joseph A. Christoff, director of international affairs and trade at the General Accounting Office, told a House hearing that UN auditors had refused to release the internal audits of the Oil-for-Food Programme [22]. Benon Sevan, with support from Kofi Annan, had written letters to all former Oil-for-Food contractors asking them to consult Sevan before releasing any documents to GAO or US congressional inquiry panels [23]. Benon Vahe Sevan (born December 18, 1937 Nicosia, Cyprus) was the head of the United Nations ' Oil-for-Food Programme, established Kofi Atta Annan, GCMG (born 8 April 1938 is a Ghanaian Diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations Throughout its history, the programme had received both complaints from critics saying that it needed to be more open and complaints from companies about proprietary information being disclosed.

The United Nations has denied all requests by the GAO for access to confidential internal audits of the Oil-for-Food Programme.

While attempting to determine the complexity of the Oil-for-Food Programme for an article in the New York Times, investigative journalist Claudia Rosett of the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies and the Hudson Institute discovered that the UN treated details such as the identities of Oil-for-Food contractors; the price, quantity and quality of goods involved in the relief deals; and the identities of the oil buyers and the precise quantities that they received as confidential. Investigative journalism is a type of reporting in which reporters deeply investigate a topic of interest often involving crime Political corruption, or some other Scandal Claudia Rosett is an American Writer and Journalist. She is journalist-in-residence at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a The Hudson Institute is an American, non-profit, conservative Think tank founded in 1961 in Croton-on-Hudson New York, by The bank statements, the interest paid, and the transactions were all secret as well. [24] Rosett has come under harsh criticism from Denis Halliday [25] and Benon Sevan [26], who have claimed that many of Rosett's claims (such as Oil-for-Food funding the approval of an Olympic stadium, and where responsibility for various issues lay according to the UN resolutions) were incorrect. Denis J Halliday was the United Nations Humanitarian Co-ordinator in Iraq from September 1, 1997 until 1998 Benon Vahe Sevan (born December 18, 1937 Nicosia, Cyprus) was the head of the United Nations ' Oil-for-Food Programme, established

The US House Committee on International Relations investigated the Oil-for-Food Programme and discovered that money was provided by Sabah Yassen, the former Iraqi ambassador to Jordan, to pay the families of Palestinian suicide bombers between $15,000 to $25,000. This article is about suicide attacks for political and/or military reasons [27] From September 2000 until the invasion of Iraq, the families of Palestinians killed or wounded in the conflict with Israel (including 117 responsible for suicide bombings in Israel) received over $35 million. It is alleged that this money came from the UN Oil-for-Food Programme.

Independent Inquiry Committee

After initial opposition to an investigation, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan stated on 19 March 2004 that a full independent investigation would be launched. Kofi Atta Annan, GCMG (born 8 April 1938 is a Ghanaian Diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations Events 1279 - A Mongolian victory in the Battle of Yamen ends the Song Dynasty in China. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " In an official press interview, Annan said "[. . . ] it is highly possible that there has been quite a lot of wrongdoing, but we need to investigate [. . . ] and see who was responsible. " "00:00:03". (audio clip, @5:56) However, Annan was emphatic that most of the claims were "outrageous and exaggerated" [28], and that most of the criticisms had to do with things over which the programme had no authority.

The following individuals were chosen in April of 2004 to head the United Nations' Independent Inquiry Committee[29]:

On April 22, 2004, the United Nations Security Council passed a unanimous resolution endorsing the Volcker inquiry into corruption in the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme for Iraq, calling upon all 191 member states to cooperate. Events 1500 - Portuguese Navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral becomes the first European to sight Brazil. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Political corruption is the use of governmental powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain (NYT)

The definitive[8] report was presented by Paul Volcker to the Security Council on 7 September 2005. Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [9]

A leaked internal UN audit, which surfaced on mineweb. com, shows massive discrepancies between Cotecna reports and UN agency reports for the value of the shipments into northern Iraq. The audit found that Cotecna did no "value" inspections on nearly US$1 billion worth of aid shipments for the Inter-Agency Humanitarian Programme into northern Iraq. However, in a subsequent report published by the Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC) (October 27, 2005) it was concluded that “there were no major complaints by the United Nations or its member states about Cotecna’s performance”[10] and that “the audit did not report any deficiencies in Cotecna’s inspections”[11]. Benon Sevan was briefed in December 2002 on the findings of the audit. Benon Vahe Sevan (born December 18, 1937 Nicosia, Cyprus) was the head of the United Nations ' Oil-for-Food Programme, established [30]

The audit is available here. Its summary states:

OIOS' overall conclusion is that the management of the Contract has not been adequate and certain provisions of the Contract had not been adhered to. In addition, the incorporation of additional costs, such as rehabilitation of camps in the man-day-rate was an unacceptable arrangement. Also, the contract had been amended prior to its commencement, which was inappropriate. OIP needs to strengthen its management of contracts and the Procurement Division (PD) should ensure that the basis of payment is appropriate in order to avoid additional costs to the Organization

After reading the leaked audit, congressman Henry Hyde wrote to Kofi Annan wondering why "The U. Henry John Hyde ( April 18, 1924 &ndash November 29, 2007) an American politician was a Republican member of the S. Congress — which provides 22 percent of the U. N. 's budget and which has publicly requested copies of the 55 internal audits — should be required to depend on media leaks for source documents. "

Interim report results

In a 219-page initial report, the Volcker Commission documented how OIF Chairman Benon Sevan used his position to solicit and receive allocations of oil from Iraq during the years he oversaw the humanitarian relief programme. Benon Vahe Sevan (born December 18, 1937 Nicosia, Cyprus) was the head of the United Nations ' Oil-for-Food Programme, established Internal records from SOMO (Iraq 's State Oil Marketing Organization), as well as interviews with former Iraqi officials involved in illicit oil deals, show that Sevan had requested and received allocations of 7. 3 million barrels (1,160,000 m³) of oil on behalf of a Panama-registered trading company called African Middle East Petroleum Co.

Although the report makes no specific allegations of criminal activity by Sevan, Volcker does not rule out the possibility that charges might be filed by authorities in countries with relevant jurisdiction. The report called Sevan's conduct "ethically improper”, noting that Sevan had received large cash payments totalling $160,000 dollars each year he had headed the programme. Sevan claims the money came from an aunt in Cyprus who has since died, but the panel found no evidence to back this claim.

Volcker also reported in January that a review of 58 confidential UN internal OIF audits showed UN officials ignored early signs that humanitarian goods shipped to Iraq before the 2003 Invasion war were given little if any inspections by the Swiss company Cotecna. However, Volker concluded in the October 27, 2005 IIC report that “the audit did not report any deficiencies in Cotecna’s inspections”[12]. Cotecna paid Kojo Annan, Kofi Annan's son, consulting fees until November 2003. Kojo Annan (born July 1973 in Geneva, Switzerland) is the son of ex- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Volcker said that future reports would deal with questions regarding Kojo Annan. [31]

Investigations by Iraqi Governing Council

International accounting firm KPMG had been selected by the Iraqi Governing Council to investigate the al Mada claims, along with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. KPMG is one of the largest Professional services firms in the world Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP (often simply referred to as Freshfields) is a large international Law firm providing business law advice throughout Europe It was due to release its findings to the Iraqi Governing Council in May 2004. The Iraqi Governing Council (IGC was the provisional government of Iraq from July 13, 2003 to June 1, However, in June 2004, KPMG stopped working on the project because it was owed money by the IGC [32].

The US has been harshly critical of the KPMG probe led by associates of Ahmed Chalabi, accusing it of undermining the main probe established by Paul Bremer. That probe had been run by the head of Iraq's independent Board of Supreme Audit, Ehsan Karim, with assistance from Ernst & Young. Ernst & Young is one of the largest Professional services firms in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC, The Board of Supreme Audit is within the Iraqi Finance Ministry. In June 2004, Karim's investigation agreed to share information with the Volcker panel. However, on 1 July 2004, Karim was killed by a bomb magnetically attached to his car [33]. "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again "

Claude Hankes-Drielsma, a British national and long-time friend of Ahmed Chalabi, was appointed by the IGC to coordinate its investigation of the Oil-for-Food Programme. Drielsma testified in front of the US Congress (on 21 April 2004) that the KPMG investigation "is expected to demonstrate the clear link between those countries which were quite ready to support Saddam Hussein's regime for their own financial benefit, at the expense of the Iraqi people, and those that opposed the strict application of sanctions and the overthrow of Saddam". Events 753 BC - Romulus and Remus found Rome ( traditional date) "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " He also testified that Chalabi was in charge of the investigation for the IGC.

In late May 2004, on the same day that Chalabi's offices at the Iraqi National Congress were raided by coalition forces, Drielsma claimed that an individual or individuals hacked into his computer and deleted every file associated with his investigation. He also claimed that "a back-up databank" was also deleted [34]. When asked by Caludia Rosett if he had been physically threatened as well, Drielsma replied with "no comment". Drielsma has also been an outspoken critic of the UN's refusal to release any internal Oil-for-Food audit information to the IGC.

Criminal investigation in France

The French criminal justice system is investigating alleged involvement of two former officials from the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Bernard Mérimée and Serge Boidevaix. The Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Government of France, is the cabinet minister responsible for the Foreign relations of France. The two are accused of having used their extensive network of connections in the Arab world in order to commit "influence peddling" and "corruption of foreign public agents". They have been put under formal criminal investigation by investigating magistrate Philippe Courroye, a famous specialist in cases of corruption and other financial dealings. This article is about the inquisitorial system for organizing court proceedings Both men had retired at the time of the alleged crimes and acted in their personal capacity, not as official envoys of the French government; however, Boidevaix claims that he kept the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed of his actions in Iraq. The Ministry claims to have warned both men formally in 2001 (during the administration of Lionel Jospin). Lionel Jospin (born 12 July 1937 is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France, during the third " cohabitation "

Some other people, including Bernard Guillet, an aide to French senator Charles Pasqua, are also under formal investigation. Charles Pasqua (born 18 April 1927, Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes) is a French Businessman and Gaullist Politician Guillet and Pasqua deny any wrongdoing.

US Senate investigations

US Senator Norm Coleman called for Kofi Annan to resign over the scandal and held a number of hearings on the matter. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives Norman Bertram "Norm" Coleman Jr (born August 17, 1949) is an American politician who has served as a U The most spectacular of these hearings occurred after the subcommittee released a report that accused British Member of Parliament (MP) George Galloway, Russian politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky, and former French Interior Minister Charles Pasqua of receiving oil allocations from Iraq in return for being political allies of Saddam Hussein's regime. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a Parliament. George Galloway (born 16 August 1954 in Dundee) is a Scottish Politician, author and talkshow host noted for his Left-wing views confrontational style Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Vladimir Volfovich Zhirinovsky (Влади́мир Во́льфович Жирино́вский born April 25, 1946 as Vladimir Volfovich Eidelstein) This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Charles Pasqua (born 18 April 1927, Grasse, Alpes-Maritimes) is a French Businessman and Gaullist Politician Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti ( Arabic: ar صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي --> April 28 1937 &ndash December 30 Galloway, in an unusual appearance of a British MP before a US Senate subcommittee, responded angrily to the allegations against him in a confrontational public hearing which drew much media attention in both America and Britain [35]. George Galloway (born 16 August 1954 in Dundee) is a Scottish Politician, author and talkshow host noted for his Left-wing views confrontational style Galloway denied the allegations.

It is estimated that as much as $10 billion to $21. 3 billion went unaccounted for and/or was directed to Saddam Hussein and his government in the form of kickbacks and oil smuggling. Record keeping of illegal behaviour is hard to come by and rare at best. To date, only 1 of 54 internal UN audits of the Oil-for-Food Programme have been made public. The UN has refused all requests for its audits.

Staff from the Senate investigations committee presented documentary evidence that the Bush administration was made aware of illegal oil sales and kickbacks paid to the Saddam Hussein regime but could do nothing to stop them. The Senate report concludes the United States ended up with a majority of the oil lifted from Iraq after vendors paid illicit surcharges of 10 cents to 30 cents a barrel to Saddam, though U. S. firms directly purchased less than 1 percent of the crude. However, the two countries to profit most from the programme were allegedly France and Russia. These two countries were the strongest supporters of lifting UN-imposed sanctions against Iraq and were also against the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

Alleged US corporate complicity

It has also been alleged that the American government was aware of the scandal and chose to not prevent the smuggling because their allies Turkey and Jordan benefited from the majority of the smuggled oil.

US Senator Carl Levin (D-Michigan) is quoted in an interview for the New York Times as saying, "There is no question that the bulk of the illicit oil revenues came from the open sale of Iraqi oil to Jordan and to Turkey, and that that was a way of going around the Oil-for-Food Programme [and that] we were fully aware of the bypass and looked the other way. Carl Milton Levin (born June 28, 1934) is a Democratic United States Senator from Michigan and is the Chairman of the Senate Michigan ( is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. "[36]

Indictments

On January 6, 2006, South Korean businessman Tongsun Park was arrested by the FBI in Houston after he was indicted for illegally accepting millions of dollars from Iraq in the UN Oil-for-Food Programme. South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea and often referred to as Korea ( Korean: 대한민국 tɛː Tongsun Park (born 1935 also known as Pak Dong-seon, was a figure in two political money-related scandals Koreagate in the 1970s and the Oil-for-Food Program The criminal charges against him were unsealed in a U. S. District Court in Manhattan. [13]

On January 16, 2007, Benon Sevan was indicted by a Manhattan federal prosecutor for taking about $160,000 in bribes. Benon Vahe Sevan (born December 18, 1937 Nicosia, Cyprus) was the head of the United Nations ' Oil-for-Food Programme, established Michael J. Garcia, the U. S. attorney from the Southern District of New York, issued a warrant through Interpol for the arrest of Sevan at his home in Cyprus, as well as a warrant for Efraim "Fred" Nadler, a New York businessman who was indicted on charges of channelling the illegal payments to Sevan. The International Criminal Police Organization, better known by its telegraphic address Interpol is an organization facilitating international police cooperation Nadler's whereabouts are unknown. [14]


Endnotes

  1. ^ United Nations Security Council Resolution 986 S-RES-986(1995) on 14 April 1995 (retrieved 2008-04-09)
  2. ^ Security Council Resolution 706(1991) (15 August 1991). Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Events 778 - The Battle of Roncevaux Pass, at which Roland is killed Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar.
  3. ^ Security Council Resolution 712(1991) (19 September 1991). Events 335 - Dalmatius is raised to the rank of Caesar by his uncle Constantine I. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar.
  4. ^ CNN.com - U.N. defends oil-for-food letter - May 3, 2004
  5. ^ FOXNews.com - New U.N. Scheme: Alliance of Civilizations - Blog | Blogs | Popular Blogs | Video Blogs
  6. ^ The Guardian on Nadhmi Auchi (see also Clearstream scandal)
  7. ^ a b c Pete Earley, "Comrade J: The Untold Secrets of Russia's Master Spy in America After the End of the Cold War", Penguin Books, 2007, ISBN-13 978-0-399-15439-3, pages 210-223. Clearstream Banking SA (CB is the clearing division based in Luxembourg, of Deutsche Börse.
  8. ^ United Nations (7 September 2005). Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. "Independent Inquiry Committee finds mismanagement and failure of oversight". Press release. A news release, media release, press release or press statement is a written or recorded Communication directed at members of the News
  9. ^ Security Council Meeting 5256 (7 September 2005). Events 1251 BC - A Solar eclipse on this date might mark the birth of legendary Heracles at Thebes Greece. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
  10. ^ Independent Inquiry Committee into the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme - (27 October 2005) p. 474
  11. ^ Independent Inquiry Committee into the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme - (27 October 2005) p. 475
  12. ^ Independent Inquiry Committee into the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme - (27 October 2005) p. 475
  13. ^ "Korean arrested on oil-for-food scandal charges", NBC News, Jan 6, 2006.  
  14. ^ Colum Lynch. "Former U.N. Oil-for-Food Chief Indicted", The Washington Post, January 17, 2007.  

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