Allegations on oil-for-food will be probed ‘very seriously,’ Annan says

Secretary-General Kofi Annan today said that he will soon name the members of an independent panel to investigate allegations of corruption and fraud within the United Nations Oil-for-Food programme, and pledged that the probe will take the charges “very seriously.”

“We are quite close and I’m in touch with panel members who would investigate this in an independent manner,” the Secretary-General told reporters as he entered UN Headquarters in New York. “I hope to be able to make the announcement in the course of the week.”

Mr. Annan emphasized that the probe would be comprehensive. “We are going to investigate these allegations very seriously and with a very thorough, independent investigation.”

Responding to allegations in the press, the Secretary-General announced last month his intention to set up an independent, high-level inquiry – a move later endorsed by the Security Council.

Begun in 1996, the UN Oil-for-Food programme allowed Iraq to use a portion of its petroleum revenues to purchase humanitarian relief. The effort was monitored by the Security Council “661” committee, which included representatives from all 15 countries on the Council.

Until its termination in November 2003, the programme oversaw the delivery of some $39 billion worth of humanitarian assistance to about 22 million people, many of whom were largely dependent on outside aid to survive since normal economic activity was severely constrained by sanctions imposed after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990. The aid served to slash negative health indicators, including child malnutrition rates, which fell by half between 1996 and 2002.