U.N. In Court

With all the attention going to the ruling of the Supreme Court today, this little item went mostly un-noticed. The first federal trial linked to the U.N.'s Oil-for-Food program opened this week. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan will not be happy about it, since he's tried to sweep it under the rug and is hoping nobody remembers it.

Whatever the outcome for Park, his trial — expected to last about three weeks — looks likely to provide an unprecedented view into the workings of U.N. backroom politics. Not least, this comes as a timely warning to beware whatever might be going on today in any back channels the U.N. might have opened with nuclear-happy, sanctions-threatened, oil-rich Iran.

We are going to hearing some of the juicy details of how the operation worked and who was involved.

some of the private players who got caught up in the epic scandal that was Oil-for-Food have by now had to tangle with prosecutors, or at least have been required to face inquiries conducted in broad daylight. Also under federal indictment are a number of Saddam’s former business partners, who face trial in the Southern District of New York this November. In Australia, the Cole Commission has been delving in public hearings into misconduct under Oil-for-Food

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We won't be hearing anything from the U.N. officials involved in the administration of the program. They are hiding under the rock of diplomatic immunity.