Background
SEVAN, BENON was born on December 18, 1937 in Nicosia, Cyprus.
SEVAN, BENON was born on December 18, 1937 in Nicosia, Cyprus.
Columbia College, United States of America, 6063, Bachelor of Arts. School of International Affairs, Columbia University, 1963-1966, Master of Arts. Spoken languages: English, French, Armenian, Greek, Turkish, Malay.
He obtained a Bachelor in History and Philosophy at Columbia College, New York, and a further degree from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. He joined the United Nations in 1965 and worked, among other places, for a United Nations-administered plebiscite in West Irian, as well as on issues related to prisoners of war in the Iran-Iraq conflict. From 1982 to March 1988 Sevan was Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
In April 1988 he was appointed director and senior political advisor to the Secretary-General"s representative on the Afghan conflict.
In January 1991 the Secretary-General appointed him to head the Office coordinating humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. In July 1992 he was named Assistant Secretary-General in the United Nations Department of Political Affairs.
But Sevan came to world attention as investigations began into the Oil-for-Food Programme. Sevan reportedly accepted bribes from Saddam Hussein in the form of oil vouchers, and allowed Saddam to garner $11 billion for military and other uses which violated the United Nations sanctions against his regime, even as Sevan tried to persuade the United Nations Security Council to make concessions to the Iraqi regime.
In August, 2003, he was wounded in the Canal Hotel Bombing.
On 7 February 2005, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan suspended Sevan and another United Nations official with pay ($1 per year plus benefits, including diplomatic immunity from prosecution) because of their roles in the fraud. On 8 August 2005, a United Nations-appointed panel, led by Paul Volcker, published a report on its investigation into the scandal. In the report the panel concluded that Sevan had accepted bribes from the former Iraqi regime and recommended that his United Nations immunity be lifted, to allow for a criminal investigation.
Sevan had resigned from the United Nations on 7 August 2005, just one day before the report was due to be published.
In October 2005 it was reported he had fled the United States and returned to his native Cyprus. The extradition treaty between the United States and Cyprus does not require Cyprus to send Sevan to the United States. Sevan is married with one daughter.
Spouse Micheline, National of France.