From the New York Sun
After months of denials, the United Nations admitted yesterday that, in an exception to its own rules, it has paid for the legal defense of Benon Sevan. The U.N.’s own investigation panel denounced Mr. Sevan for his central role in the oil-for-food scandal that has engulfed the world body.
Questions regarding whether the U.N. would cover Mr. Sevan’s legal fees were raised soon after the name of the oil-for-food program chief appeared on a list published by the Iraqi newspaper al-Mada shortly after the start of the Iraq war. The newspaper accused world diplomats, businessmen, and U.N. officials of accepting bribes from Saddam Hussein in the form of oil allocations.
Up until late last week, the U.N. said it had not paid any of Mr. Sevan’s legal fees. But yesterday, U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard told The New York Sun that the U.N. had been paying his legal bills up until last month.
The irony is, Sevan’s defense was no doubt funded by monies earmarked for administering the oil-for-food program.
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(h/t Instapundit)
I find it not so ironic as outrageous.
Corrupt cretins.
“We are declaring a resolution condemning Eurasia. We have always condemned Eurasia.”
The New York Sun link isn’t linking.
This is the classic “Webster Hubble gambit”. Unlike the “Susan McDougal gambit”, where you have an idiot willing to take the fall and keep quiet based on some warped sense of principle, the Hubble gambit requires constant maintenance of the potential rat and attention to his legal well being until the heat is off. Mr. Sevan’s financial affairs are no doubt also being well looked after, which is integral to the successful use of the Hubble gambit.
I wondering if the UN ever follows its own rules, because they sure seem to make it up as they go along. The fact that they are so shameless to deny, deny, deny, and then finally after te fact admit the truth of their corrupt actions, tells you all you need to know about the integrity of the organization.
But then you knew that.