Not that one. This one.
NEW YORK — One of the targets of the Oil-for-Food investigation, Alexander Yakovlev, on Monday pleaded guilty to conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering charges for taking bribes during his work at the United Nations.
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.
Yakovlev was stripped of his diplomatic immunity earlier Monday by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and taken into custody by federal authorities.
David N. Kelley, the U.S. attorney for the southern district of New York, said that a judge accepted Yakovlev's guilty plea for his part in taking at least several hundred thousand dollars from foreign companies in connection with his job as a procurement officer at the United Nations from 1993 to 2005. The former U.N. official handled tens of millions of dollars worth of U.N. supply contracts annually when he worked there.
Next up, Benon Sevan goes for for a ride in the dingy with Michael Corleone.
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