U.N. OIL PAPERS VANISH

New York Post ^ | 4/29/04 | NILES LATHEM

[kattracks]

April 29, 2004 -- WASHINGTON - The vast majority of the United Nations' oil-for-food contracts in Iraq have mysteriously vanished, crippling investigators trying to uncover fraud in the program, a government report charged yesterday. The General Accounting Office report, presented at a congressional hearing into the scandal-plagued program, determined that 80 percent of U.N. records had not been turned over.

[xm177e2]

I'm shocked that it took this long for the coverup to begin in earnest. The UN is full of government flunkies from Europe and third-world countries and this sort of thing (shredding documents) is second nature to them.

[Wolfstar]

Ping! Big surprise. The UN has "lost" the majority of oil-for-food contracts.

The article ends with the following demonstration of Annan's indignation at being investigated:

A former oil-for-food program coordinator testified at yesterday's hearing that in the early stages his U.N. superiors were openly hostile to U.S. efforts to contain Saddam.

"For reasons I have yet to fully understand, several U.N. leaders approached the implementation of the oil-for-food program with more distrust towards the United Kingdom and United States than towards the regime of Saddam Hussein," Michael Soussan said.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan fired back. "If you read the reports, it looks as if the Saddam regime had nothing to do with it. They did nothing wrong - it was all the U.N.," Annan said.

To which I respond, "Yes, Kofi, it was all the UN's fault. So take your indignation and stuff it where the sun doesn't shine, you corrupt pig.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Is anyone really surprised that Koffi and crew started shredding papers and destroying evidence right after this story broke a month or more ago?

Investigators should have swooped in on their offices with warrants in hand and sealed the premises as soon as the shit hit the fan.

It's too late now. This investigation is dead and all involved will get away with it...again. Typical.

[BlessedByLiberty]

Thank you for this ping. I saw a clip of Lantos yesterday essentially saying that we should not investigate the UN while we're at war! The UN needs its credibility now.

Let's not find out who is culpable in Hussein's war crimes against his own people (starving one's own people qualifies) or perhaps who helped him with WMD's?

The libs want this under the rug because the UN is Kerry's foreign policy.

[knighthawk]

The vast majority of the United Nations' oil-for-food contracts in Iraq have mysteriously vanished, crippling investigators trying to uncover fraud in the program, a government report charged yesterday

No more UN for US-list

If people want on or off this list, please let me know.

[King Prout]

su-PRISE su-PRISE su-PRISE!

[King Prout]

Just DAMN!

Looks like the U.N. stole a page from Hillary's "filegate" playbook.

[bray]

Yeah, this is the gummit we want running Iraq!!! Double Latte for Mr President!!!

Pray for W and Our Heroic Troops

[TRY ONE]

I heard there were 900 UN folks in Iraq "monitoring" the Oil for Food Program!

Can anyone verify??

If so, no wonder the records were incomplete --- not enough people there to monitor it! (sarcasm)

[Wolfhound777]

Why the hell do we put up with Kofi Annan? He needs to be removed ASAP and we need to disengage from this pathetic organization immediately. We should give them 6 months to get the hell out of New York and never give them another dime. My hatred for this organization grows stronger everyday.

[mewzilla]

The UN just gave us and Iraq the finger. Again.

[mewzilla]

Paging Kerry and the Dems....Still wanna trust the UN?

[philman_36]

What is amazing is that anyone would or could believe that all of the information would be turned over to begin with.
Missing papers tell no tales.
The next thing to be "missing", in a logical chain of events, will be people.
CYA is universal and loose lips sink ships.

[mewzilla]

According to Nile Gardiner (sp?) on C-SPAN this morning, KPMG should come out with the results of its audit soon. That should be explosive. And useful.

[philman_36]

I haven't been following this too closely as I figured something like this would happen.
What is KPMG?

[mewzilla]

"KPMG is recognized globally as a premier provider of Assurance, Advisory, and Tax Services." That's from their US web site.

And right now they've been hired by the Iraqi Govening Council (or whatever it's called) to perform the mother-of-all audits. Results should be in a few weeks. I'll see if I can find some more info on what they're doing.

[philman_36]

I found it...the accounting firm.

[mewzilla]

From this link as News Max. From the link:

The Iraqis have hired KPMG an accounting firm and an international law firm, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, to investigate claims that huge sums of money meant to buy food and medicine for ordinary Iraqis - were diverted through oil "vouchers" to line pockets abroad, the Daily Telegraph reported...

[philman_36]

Heh...read this one!
'Massive scam' in Iraqi oil program
In a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan earlier this month, Mr Hankes-Drielsma said: "The UN failed in its responsibility to the Iraqi people and the international community at large.
"It will not come as a surprise if the oil-for-food program turns out to be one of the world's most disgraceful scams and an example of inadequate control, responsibility and transparency, providing an opportune vehicle for Saddam Hussein to operate under the UN aegis to continue his reign of terror and oppression."

And there are people still wondering why the UN didn't do anything about the violatons of their own resolutions.
The hens are coming home to roost!

[mewzilla]

And here's a link to an excellent backrounder recently written by Gardiner.