OIL-FOR-FOOD FIGURE SEEKS EXTENSION
World Briefings
The New York Times
February 25, 2005
By Warren Hoge
The former head of the oil-for-food program, Benon V. Sevan, has
asked the United Nations for more time to respond to charges filed
against him two weeks ago, and the request is being considered, said
Fred Eckhard, the spokesman for Secretary General Kofi Annan. A second
official, Joseph J. Stephanides, has filed his response, which “will
now be reviewed according to normal procedures before any action is
taken,” Mr. Eckhard said. The charges arise out of the preliminary
report of the commission headed by Paul A. Volcker, which said that
Mr. Sevan had tried to help a friend’s company obtain contracts under
the program and that Mr. Stephanides had favored some companies by
improperly furnishing them with bidding information.