CHRISTIAN MEDIA RESEARCH - Newsletter

he announcement that investigators are now looking at UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's brother Kobina Annan in connection with the seemingly eternal Iraqi Oil For Food scandal, increases the already excruciating temperature on the politician to cauldron level. Indeed, the pace of announcements in the international debacle have increased sharply.

Kofi's brother is apparently linked to one Michael Wilson, who was a Vice President of the Cotecna firm -- the Swiss outfit that got the goods inspection contract in Iraq. Wilson is a long time friend of the Annan family, and the inclusion of Kobina now adds a third member of the family to the web of intrigue. Cotecna is deeply involved in the fiscal disaster through their paid consultant Kojo Annan, who apparently helped "advise" the firm on how to win the contract.

Kofi himself has already been caught in a series of lies where he previously claimed no contact or involvement whatsoever with Cotecna. It later came out he met personally with representatives of the firm during a European trip.

Just last week the procurement officer that awarded the contract lost his diplomatic immunity, was arrested, and pled guilty to charges that could give him 60 years in prison -- all in the space of less than 24 hours! Observers say this is a sure sign a deal has been made in exchange for testimony. Less than 72 hours later, Kobina Annan's name showed up suddenly in press reports.

The final investigative report from the Volcker Commission is expected to fault Kofi, and it is due in "early September." If anyone doesn't think the US Attorney's prosecutors, who have historically advanced their careers with high profile prosecutions, are zeroing in on Kofi Annan, I've got some expensive swamp land I'd like to interest them in.

Although the scandal has gone on for years with modest appreciable accountability, there is simply no way for Kofi Annan to tread these kind of political waters for the 16 month balance of his term. In short, Kofi Annan is about to be transformed from his present identity as the 7th Secretary-General of the UN to a new role in life that doesn't include the fiscal largesse he's apparently grown accustomed to. With that new identity, we can suggest a name change as well: Kofi Gone.

August 16 2005 -- James Lloyd