UN Investigators Resign In Protest Over Annan's Claim Of Exoneration
Captain's Quarters
Kofi Annan claimed that the preliminary report from the Volcker Inquiry exonerated him from any indication of corruption, and used the report to lay the blame for the massive corruption in the Oil-For-Food program at the two countries who didn't use it to buy off Saddam Hussein -- the US and UK. Tonight, however, two of the Volcker investigators have resigned in protest, reportedly because they believed that the report went too easy on the Secretary-General:
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Two senior investigators with the committee probing corruption in the U.N. oil-for-food program have resigned in protest, saying they believe a report that cleared Kofi Annan of meddling in the $64 billion operation was too soft on the secretary-general, a panel member confirmed Wednesday.
The investigators felt the Independent Inquiry Committee, led by former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker, played down findings critical of Annan when it released an interim report in late March related to his son, said Mark Pieth, one of three leaders of the committee.
"You follow a trail and you want to see people pick it up," Pieth told The Associated Press, referring to the two top investigators who left. The committee "told the story" that the investigators presented, "but we made different conclusions than they would have."
The investigators were identified as Robert Parton and Miranda Duncan.
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For now, Parton and Duncan haven't spoken to the press. However, Pieth's confirmation shows that the two people who collated and analyzed the evidence came to the conclusion that we all suspected -- that Annan had some part in the corruption or its cover-up, more directly than Volcker was willing to state. It also points out that the Volcker Commission has no problem watering down the findings of its own investigative staff. Why? Remember that Paul Volcker reports directly to Kofi Annan and serves at his pleasure.
Perhaps Senator Norm Coleman can find a place for Parton and Duncan on his Senate investigative subcommittee, which seems to be the only place honest assessments can be made of the evidence.
Posted by Captain Ed
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