D.A. Pursuing Criminal Probe of Aide at U.N.

NY Sun ^ | July 11, 2005 | Claudia Rosett

[gopwinsin04]

The Manhattan District Attorney's office has opened a criminal investigation into the former head of the UN oil-fo-food program, Benon Sevan, the DA's office has just confimed for the first time to the NY Sun.

The probe, apparently well advanced, involved allegations of commercial bribery related to Mr. Sevan's role as executive director from 1997-2003 of the oil-for-food relief program from Iraq, then under UN sanctions against the fromer regieme of Saddam Hussein.

A source close into the criminal investigation into Mr. Sevan says that the office of the Manhattan DA, Robert Morganthau, is working in coooperation with a UN-authorized inquiry led by the former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board Paul Volcker and the Senate Permanent Committee on Investigations, chaired by US Senator Coleman, Republican of Minnesota.

Kofi Anan has said that he is prepared to lift UN confirmed immunity of any staff member, should the fact support criminal charges.

The Volcker committee is expected to issue a report by the end of the month to tie up loose ends, including some of the questions about Mr. Sevan.

[gopwinsin04]

Getting closer to Kofi every day...

[Young Werther]

Enough with the persue(?) PROSECUTE!!!!!

[ncountylee]

Hasn't Benon Sevan scurried off to his rat hole?

[AmishDude]

I hope they do get Kofi. I want to know what "kicking and screaming" really looks like.

[gopwinsin04]

I believe he is in Cypress right now.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

What exactly is "UN confirmed immunity" ?

[gopwinsin04]

And Kofi will only relese immunity unitl he 'is convinced' that the fact support criminal charges!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Egg-zelent!

[gopwinsin04]

That means unless Kofi is caught on tape like Nixon he will probably never voluntarily lift the immunity.

[AmishDude]

I have a question: Where is the source of this immunity? I mean, the individual diplomats have immunity granted by their home countries. The UN doesn't (or shouldn't) have independent status. If the administration wanted to (it wouldn't), it could just ignore any such claim without any real repercussions, other than PR.

You see, diplomatic immunity is created so that our diplomats can't be prosecuted capriciously by, say Iran. It's not the best system, but it has a perfectly good reason for existing. Furthermore, if a diplomat is accused of a major crime, the home country can lift the immunity.

I think allowing the UN to have its own immunity is a very dangerous idea.