Washington - The special commission investigating the United Nations' (UN) oil-for-food programme has published more than 50 internal UN audits revealing widespread mismanagement - but which were widely ignored by the officials in direct charge of the programme.
The audits were made public on Sunday, along with a preliminary report from the commission into a scandal which has generated fierce new criticism of the world body, especially in the US, and led to calls for the resignation of Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
The investigatory commission, headed by the former Federal Reserve chairperson Paul Volcker, was set up last April by Annan amid widespread allegations of corruption in the $60-billion (about R360-billion) oil-for-food programme, which operated from 1996 until after the US-led invasion of Iraq.
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Before he was ousted from power, Saddam Hussein is believed to have skimmed at least $1-billion (about R6-billion) - some American investigators claim 10 times as much - from the scheme, helped, it is alleged, by bribes to officials and middlemen in many countries.
In its comments on the audits, the commission implies that the UN's auditors failed to pick up on this corruption. It notes that the UN, through its own watchdog Office of Internal Oversight Services, was attempting to keep tabs on the programme - but that these checks had little impact.
Of the 58 audits made public, five reveal clear mismanagement. Two other audits examine irregularities, including overcharging by two companies that were supposed to monitor Iraq's oil sales. The final report is not due until the end of June. - The Independent
- This article was originally published on page 2 of Cape Times on January 12, 2005
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