The U.N.-appointed commission probing the oil-for-food scandal shelved two highly critical drafts of its report on business conflicts involving Secretary-General Kofi Annan and his son, it was revealed yesterday.
The explosive news of a potential whitewash was disclosed by a source close to Robert Parton — the man who handled the investigation of Kofi and Kojo Annan — who quit the U.N. Independent Inquiry Committee headed by Paul Volcker.
Parton authored the two hushed-up reports before leaving in protest that Volcker's inquiry was too soft on Kofi Annan.
A source speaking for Parton said he and Miranda Duncan, granddaughter of tycoon David Rockefeller who also resigned last week, wrote two earlier drafts of the commission's report that were far more critical of Annan than what was contained in the final version released by Volcker on March 29.
The final report said no evidence was found that Annan played any role in the selection of the Swiss firm Cotecna that employed Annan's son Kojo, although it criticized him for meeting with company executives and for failing to fully investigate the matter.
Annan used the report's conclusions to declare with great fanfare that he had been exonerated. With Congress trying to pick up this new trial of intrigue, Volcker personally called the chairmen of three committees investigating the $64 billion scandal to inform them that his U.N.-appointed independent committee will invoke immunity over Parton and Duncan, preventing them from being subpoenaed. "We draw the line at exposing an investigator during an ongoing investigation," said Volcker spokesman Mike Holtzman. "They have important things to say, and it's unfortunate the U.N. chose not to waive the agreement," said Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), head of the Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security.
From the NY Post.
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