UN Oil-for-Food Scandal Exposed: $1 Billion Skimmed, Corruption Reigns Supreme

Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette and other close aides to Secretary-General Kofi Annan suffered harsh criticism in the five-volume report by the Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC). The report, led by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, found that the UN's oil-for-food program was flawed from conception to conclusion, enabling Saddam Hussein to siphon more than $1 billion. The evidence was not sufficient to find Kofi Annan personally guilty of wrongdoing, but his son, Kojo, was implicated in profiting from his UN contacts.

Key Takeaways:

• The UN's oil-for-food program was marred by corruption, with Saddam Hussein siphoning $1 billion from the program.
• The report criticized Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette and other close aides to Secretary-General Kofi Annan for their role in the scandal.
• Kofi Annan's son, Kojo, was implicated in profiting from his UN contacts, including using his father's name to secure a $40,000 Mercedes discount.
• The report found that UN member governments and Security Council diplomats were complicit in the corruption.
• The Security Council was criticized for tolerating large-scale oil smuggling and kickbacks, and failing to confront Saddam on obvious violations.
• Saddam managed to smuggle $10 billion to neighboring countries, with Security Council members overlooking the smuggling to compensate these countries for the loss of legitimate trade with Iraq.

Statistics:

• $1 billion: The amount skimmed from the UN's oil-for-food program by Saddam Hussein.
• $10 billion: The amount smuggled to neighboring countries by Saddam Hussein.
• $40,000: The cost of the Mercedes bought by Kojo Annan using his father's name.
• $6,500: The diplomatic discount secured by Kojo Annan, saving an additional $14,100 in duties.

Sources:

• The Washington Times, Byline: Betsy Pisik
• United Nations Independent Inquiry Committee Report