[JURIST] Robert Parton, who resigned last month [JURIST report] as senior investigative counsel for the Independent Inquiry Committee [official website] into the defunct UN Oil-for-Food Program [official website], has handed over potentially incriminating documents to a US congressional committee. The handover, made public Thursday, triggered outrage from inquiry head and former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board Paul Volcker [Wikipedia profile] who believes the investigation has been damaged by lack of secrecy. It is speculated that the documents show that Volcker was misled by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan; the UN has denied any wrongdoing [UN Oil for Food Inquiry webpage]. Representative Henry Hyde, chairman of the House International Relations Committee [Committee website, Hyde statement], which has been investigating the now-defunct $67 billion humanitarian program, said Parton had been subpoenaed to turn over the papers and he hoped he would not be punished. Reuters has more.
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