An independent panel on Monday accused the former head of the UN oil-for-food program for Iraq of corruption and said questions remained about UN Secretary-General's Kofi Annan's knowledge of the scandal.
An interim report released by the commission led by former US Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker said, "On the basis of available evidence," oil-for-food program head Benon Sevan "corruptly benefited" from the scheme. It recommended that his immunity be lifted.
It said that Sevan, a 67-year-old Cypriot, received US$147,184 from oil-sales kickbacks under the US$64 billion program.
The allocations were made, at Sevan's request, to African Middle East Petroleum, headed by Egyptian Fakhry Abdelnour, a cousin of former UN secretary-general Boutros Boutros-Ghali.
Cash was deposited between December 1998 and January 2002 to bank accounts of Sevan and his wife in New York, the panel said.
Sevan, who fled to Cyprus two months ago, resigned ahead of the announcement of the charge, which he denied and accused Annan of "sacrificing" him, his lawyer said on Sunday.
Sevan had retired from the UN but remained on staff, receiving a salary of US$1 a year to maintain diplomatic immunity. That job was given to him after he was suspended in February to ensure that he would cooperate with the Volcker panel. Volcker said Sevan "has not responded to our efforts to contact him."
Volcker's commission also said that evidence gathered against Alexander Yakovlev, a former UN procurement officer, was "sufficiently strong" that his UN immunity should also be removed.
Yakovlev had "secretly participated in a scheme to solicit a bribe" from a company bidding for an oil inspection contract, the commission said.
Yakovlev, a Russian, recently resigned his UN post after allegations that he had awarded a UN contract to a company that employed his son.
Yakovlev entered a guilty plea in US court to three charges -- conspiracy, fraud and money laundering -- on Monday.
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