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Contract Dispute With United Nations Could Lead to End of Diplomatic Immunity
Fox News ^ | 5/24/11 | Ed Barnes

Posted on 05/24/2011 1:38:45 PM PDT by markomalley

A federal judge in New York has issued an order that could lift the U.N.’s long-recognized diplomatic immunity in the United States involving contract disputes, opening the doors for claims of “hundreds of millions of dollars” against the world body, according to lawyers involved in the case.

Following a ruling by Judge P. Kevin Castel, both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times on Wednesday will publish legal notices on behalf of Kahraman Sadikoglu, a Turkish billionaire businessman who is suing the U.N. Development Program (UNDP) for $150 million.

The notices are a legal substitute for the process of officially serving the lawsuit to U.N. officials, who have refused to accept the authority of U.S. courts in this and other legal matters.

Sadikoglu was hired by the UNDP to clear the Iraqi harbor of Um Qasr, Iraq’s largest port in 2003, so that supplies could be delivered to the war-shattered nation. He has fought since that time to be paid for the work, and according to his lawyers is suing now because the U.N. failed to honor the terms of a 2008 agreement that would have settled the matter.

“But when they learned that money would come from their own funds,” according to George G. Irving, Sadikoglu’s attorney at the time, “they just ignored him.” Most of the reconstruction funds had either come from American or Iraqi coffers.

According to Irving, who once worked in the Legal Affairs Office of the U.N. Secretary General, it could open up the floodgates for hundreds of similar lawsuits.

“It is not unusual for the U.N. to play these kinds of games with contractors. They try to frustrate them at every turn so they give up and go away,” he said....

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Government
KEYWORDS: immunity; nyc; taxes; un
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To: markomalley; Rumplemeyer

“...relocate them to Switzerland...”

The Swiss don’t want them...how about Paris or Brussels?


21 posted on 05/24/2011 8:36:19 PM PDT by GGpaX4DumpedTea (I am a tea party descendant - steeped in the Constitutional legacy handed down by the Founders)
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To: Tom Jefferson; backhoe; BARLF; timestax; imintrouble; cake_crumb; Brad's Gramma; MizSterious; ...
No more UN for US-list

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

22 posted on 05/26/2011 3:43:17 AM PDT by knighthawk (We will always remember We will always be proud We will always be prepared so we may always be free)
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To: knighthawk

I scanned the body of the thread, and my simple opinion is that...it’s a start!

Thanks, knighthawk! ;o)


23 posted on 05/27/2011 12:00:25 AM PDT by dixiechick2000 (Age, skill, wisdom, and a little treachery always overcome youth and arrogance!)
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