The Hindu : International : Oil-for-food chief suspended

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Wednesday, Feb 09, 2005

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International

Oil-for-food chief suspended

LONDON, FEB. 8. The head of the U.N. oil-for-food programme in Iraq and a senior U.N. official who dealt with contracts for the programme have been suspended following an independent investigation that accused them of misconduct, a U.N. spokesman has said.

Benon Sevan, who was in charge of the $64-billion humanitarian programme, and Joseph Stephanides, who heads the U.N. Security Council affairs division, were informed on Friday that they had been suspended with pay, U.N. spokesman, Fred Eckhard, said.

Mr. Sevan and Mr. Stephanides were told they would receive a letter this week ``laying out the charges against them'', which will allow them to defend themselves before U.N. disciplinary bodies in what will likely be a lengthy appeals process, he said. ``Suspension is the beginning of a disciplinary process,'' Mr. Eckhard said.

Mr. Sevan ran the oil-for-food programme from 1996 until it ended in November 2003 and retired from the U.N. last year but remains on the payroll for $1 a year to help with the investigation. Mr. Stephanides is scheduled to retire in about five months.

An investigation led by the former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker accused Mr. Sevan in an interim report released last week of a ``grave conflict of interest'', saying his conduct in soliciting oil deals from Iraq for a friend's company was ``ethically improper and seriously undermined the integrity of the U.N.''

- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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