Kojo Annan
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Kojo Annan (born July 1973 in Geneva, Switzerland) is the son of ex-UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Kojo and his sister Ama Annan are from Kofi Annan's first marriage with Titi Alakija, a Nigerian. A January 2005 article in the Sunday Times catapulted him to fame when it announced that he had confessed involvement in the U.N. Oil-for-Food Programme scandal; in a libel settlement eleven months later, the paper announced that it now "entirely accepts that the allegation was untrue.".[1]
At issue was the use of political associations to gain the private sale of oil from Iraq through the UN—which was illegal as Iraq was under UN sanctions (following the Persian Gulf War of 1991) and showed a conflict of interest because it compromised the UN's neutral role. Further, the Oil-for-Food Programme was a strictly humanitarian venture—to use it as a means to gain profit was to steal from the Iraqi people.
From 1995 to 1997, Kojo Annan worked in West Africa for the Swiss-based inspection company Cotecna, then as a marketing consultant for the company. A July 1998 billing memo for Cotecna stated that Annan wrote that he should be reimbursed for eight days that included six days "during my father's visit to Nigeria". A fax dated August 28, 1998 included the statement, "Your work and the contacts established at this meeting should ideally be followed up at the September 1998 UN General Assembly in New York." A September 1998 hotel bill for the Holiday Inn Garden Court in Durban was paid for by Cotecna, while he was registered as being there for the United Nations. He used a calling card paid for by Cotecna to call from a phone that begins 212-963-XXXX, the same beginning number for most phones in the United Nations in New York City.[2]
In September 1998, Kojo Annan met with several heads of state and government ministers during the opening session of the U.N. General Assembly. In December, Cotecna won a $4.8 million Oil-for-Food contract.[3] Kojo Annan, Kofi Annan and Cotecna deny that the younger Annan was involved in the Oil-for-Food contract. Annan also claimed that connections with Cotecna severed after 1998, however Kojo continued to be paid by the company until February 2004.
On December 13, 2004, Kojo Annan claimed that the probe into the Oil-for-Food Programme by U.S. congressional committees was "a witchhunt from day one as part of a broader Republican political agenda.".[4]
Megadeth front man Dave Mustaine mentioned Kojo in the song 'United Abominations' the title track of Megadeth's latest studio release, this song based on the UN sparked an official retort from the U.N on July 10, by Mark Leon Goldberg of the United Nations affairs blog, UN Dispatch posted a rebuttal. This was based on the accusations Mustaine made in the song
[edit] Personal life
Kojo Adeyemo Annan was educated in Wales at the independent school Rydal Preparatory School, and in England, at Rendcomb College, where he excelled as a rugby player[5], and subsequently at Keele University. He was also educated in Switzerland.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Wald, Jonathan, "Annan's son settles UK libel case", CNN, November 11, 2005.
- ^ Hunt, Jonathan, et el, "Documents Challenge Kojo Annan's Story", Fox News (input from Associated Press), December 16, 2004.
- ^ Shawn, Eric, et al, "How Close Was Kojo Annan to Oil-for-Food?", Fox News (input from The New York Post), December 3, 2004.
- ^ Koinange, Jeff, "Annan's son: Probe 'a witchhunt'", CNN, December 13, 2004.
- ^ a b MacAskill, Ewen, "English public schoolboy turned businessman who 'disappointed' his father", The Guardian, March 30, 2005
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Annan, Kojo |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | son of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 1973 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Geneva, Switzerland |
| DATE OF DEATH | |
| PLACE OF DEATH | |
