New York
United Nations investigators last week accused Benon Sevan, former head of the oil-for-food program in Iraq, of steering a multimillion-dollar oil contract to a friend’s company. Secretary-General Kofi Annan suspended Sevan, a largely symbolic move since the onetime Annan confidant is essentially retired. The now defunct program was meant to help ordinary Iraqis obtain food and medicine, despite sanctions against Saddam Hussein, but Saddam turned it into a massive bribery and kickback scheme. Investigators, led by former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, didn’t say Sevan had taken kickbacks. They did question his claim that $160,000 he received over four years came from a retired aunt. Sevan’s lawyer said he “never took a penny.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
RFK Jr.'s focus on autism draws the ire of researchersIn the Spotlight Many of Kennedy's assertions have been condemned by experts and advocates
-
Protein obsession is oversaturating the health food spaceUnder the Radar Some experts say that fiber is now the most important macro to focus on
-
Codeword: April 23, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
