UN suspends Iraqi oil-for-food chief

Secretary-General Kofi Annan has suspended the head of the UN oil-for-food programme in Iraq and a senior official who dealt with contracts following an independent investigation that accused them of misconduct.

Benon Sevan, who was in charge of the €49.5bn humanitarian programme, and Joseph Stephanides, who currently heads the UN Security Council Affairs Division, have been suspended with pay, spokesman Fred Eckhard said.