Russian Ex-U.N. Official Convicted

jueves, marzo 08, 2007

Newsvine -

Former Russian diplomat who once led the United Nations' powerful budget oversight committee was convicted Wednesday of conspiring to launder hundreds of thousands of dollars obtained from companies seeking U.N. contracts.



Vladimir Kuznetsov, 49, was convicted of conspiracy to commit money laundering. The jury in U.S. District Court deliberated for less than a day. Kuznetsov was charged in 2005 after an internal U.N. investigation of Alexander Yakovlev, a Russian who worked in the U.N. procurement office. [And one of the people who were accused of ... the Oil-for-food scandal...].



Yakovlev, who testified against Kuznetsov, pleaded guilty in 2005 to soliciting a bribe, wire fraud and money laundering. He admitted accepting nearly $1 million in bribes from foreign companies seeking contracts to provide goods and services to the United Nations. Both men face up to 20 years in prison.



Prosecutors said Kuznetsov established an offshore company to hide Yakovlev's criminal proceeds, and in 2000 established his own offshore company to hide the transfer of criminal proceeds to himself from Yakovlev's account.



Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan waived Kuznetsov's diplomatic immunity at the request of U.S. authorities.
More in Boston Globe.



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El diplomático ruso que estaba encargado del Presupuesto de la ONU ha sido condenado por blanquear cientos de miles de dólares obtenidos de las empresas que querían negociar con la ONU.



Vladimir Kuznetzov, según los fiscales, estableció un compañía offshore para esconder las actuaciones criminales de Alexander Yakovlev, uno de los principales implicados en el escándalo Petróleos por Alimentos. Yakovlev se autoinculpó de las acusaciones de soborno, fraude y blanqueo de dinero en 2005 y admitió haber cobrado 1 millón de dólares en sobornos.



Ambos podrían enfrentarse a 20 años de prisión.



Pero es mucho más interesante la condena de Libby ¿eh?



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