Deloitte chosen to carry out full review of UN procurement system
The United Nations today announced that Deloitte Consulting LLP has been selected to carry out a full financial and internal control review of the UN’s procurement system, following Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s decision to order the appraisal last week after irregularities were uncovered by both the UN’s own oversight office and the independent panel probing the Iraq oil-for-food programme.
The United Nations today announced that Deloitte Consulting LLP has been selected to carry out a full financial and internal control review of the UN’s procurement system, following Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s decision to order the appraisal last week after irregularities were uncovered by both the UN’s own oversight office and the independent panel probing the Iraq oil-for-food programme.
Mr. Annan placed the procurement division under the direct authority of UN Controller Warren Sach, who announced that Deloitte, a 150-year-old global accounting and consulting firm, will begin its review on Monday. The assessment is expected to be completed by the end of September.
Two weeks ago, the third Interim Report of the Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC), headed by former United States Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, accused former procurement officer Alexander Yakovlev of soliciting kickbacks. It also concluded that the former Executive Director of the UN Office of the Iraq Programme, Benon Sevan, "corruptly benefited" from his role in the oil-for-food-programme.
Mr. Annan vowed that the UN would act vigorously to ensure there were no more “bad apples” in its procurement department, and pledged that the corruption outlined by the Volcker panel “will not happen again.”