OIL-FOR-FOOD SCANDAL BUSTS OPEN... U.N. STARTS TO FREEFALL

An ex-U.N. official pleaded guilty to accepting bribes from U.N. contractors. I wonder how high this will go and when will Kofi Annan resign? Seriously, dude, just leave... the earth.

A former U.N. procurement officer pleaded guilty Monday to accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from U.N. contractors, federal prosecutors said.

Alexander Yakovlev also admitted to soliciting a bribe under the U.N. oil-for-food program, making him the first U.N. official to face criminal charges in connection with the scandal-tainted program for Iraq.

He pleaded guilty to all three counts in the indictment — wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering — and could face up to 20 years in prison for each of the charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement. (full article)