Speaking of Hollywood’s “willful ignorance” (see previous post), it’s amusing to compare the film industry’s recent incomprehensbile claptrap about the UN, The Interpreter, to the ongoing, almost nonstop, OFF revelations about that wildly corrupt organization (not Hollywood, the UN). Here’s the latest from The Telegraph Oil-for-food chief ‘has overseas accounts’:
Investigators in the Iraqi oil-for-food scandal have discovered a network of overseas bank accounts operated by Benon Sevan, the former head of the United Nations programme, who is the subject of a criminal inquiry by New York prosecutors.
Officials from investigative agencies, including the UN’s Volcker inquiry, say that Mr Sevan has accounts in his native Cyprus, Turkey and Switzerland.
Ah… overseas accounts. Wouldn’t we all like some of those! The way things are going who knows where this will end? And what a movie it would make. Too bad Kofi Annan doesn’t look more like Sydney Greenstreet. (ht: Captain Marlow)
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9 Comments
1. Rob:Roger:
I don’t think you mean The Big Sleep, which was about some rich girls involved in a porn ring. I would suggest Chandler’s The High Window instead, which is about a rich man who falls from a window to his death. Murder? or suicide?
Benon Sevan, of course, would be our victim, and the interviews with the rich friends, Kofi Anon and the widow would unfold his life of corruption and greed.
It practically writes itself.
Jul 26, 2005 - 7:42 am 2. RBMN:Obviously, the biggest problem with this massive OFF corruption is that John Bolton may cause a nasty scene over it–embarrass us all. That’s what we all worry about most. Isn’t it? No? ;->
Jul 26, 2005 - 7:46 am 3. PJ:Wow, his aunt must have been more generous than we thought!
Jul 26, 2005 - 7:49 am 4. TheConfusedOne:The people who should be really worrying right now are Sevon’s aunts. Multiple accounts are going to be hard to cover up with inheritance checks.
It’s amazing how the MSM loves to jump on every little Bush mis-step but news of GROSS corruption at the UN goes virtually ignored.
Jul 26, 2005 - 7:49 am 5. jedrury:The only real shoe to drop is Sevan’s indictment by Morgenthau. Volcker and the rest is an expensive sideshow; indict this crook and he will talk like a canary as he contemplates the Tombs.
You have to like the Guardian’s comment:
“The inquiry said that the origins of $160,000 received by Mr Sevan remained a mystery, although Mr Sevan said that he had been left the money by an aunt.”
That will go over real big with a New York jury.
Jul 26, 2005 - 7:50 am 6. David Thomson:Donít worry, Fox TV News is spreading the rumor that Donald Trump may be coming to the rescue. I can see it now: ìKofi Annan, youíre fired!î
Jul 26, 2005 - 8:50 am 7. Ed Poinsett:Kofi looks enough like Sydney Greenstreet for me.
Jul 26, 2005 - 9:15 am 8. Kyda Sylvester:A “network of overseas accounts”–my, my, but hasn’t Mr. Sevan been a busy little diplomat. I predict that, like Marc Rich and Roman Polanski, Benon Sevan will never step foot on American soil again.
If it’s convoluted plots you want, OFF has them in spades which makes The Big Sleep its perfect movie equivalence (they say even Raymond Chandler didn’t know who committed one of the murders). I don’t see Sydney Greenstreet in the Annan role though. There’s a bit of a weasel-like quality to Annan–perhaps Peter Lorre, or, keeping with the analogy, Elisha Cook?
Jul 26, 2005 - 10:41 am 9. PeterUK:Kyda,
One has to be careful not to be Fezist about these things.
Jul 26, 2005 - 12:29 pm