ID: ARW-4
Alexander Yakovlev and Vladimir Kuznetsov (United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme)
Former United Nations officials Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexander Yakovlev were charged with corruption and money laundering in U.S. federal court for their respective roles in the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme case. Mr. Kuznetsov was convicted of one count of money laundering following a jury trial in the U.S. District Court for Southern District of New York and ordered to pay a criminal fine of $73,671. He satisfied this judgment on November 18, 2008. His co-conspirator Alexander Yakovlev pleaded guilty in 2005 to three counts of wire fraud and money laundering. As part of his plea agreement, Mr. Yakovlev had agreed to forfeit $900,000 held in bank accounts in Liechtenstein. On December 22, 2010, the federal court for the Southern District of New York ordered the following accounts forfeited to the U.S. (pending any assertions of third-party claims):
(1) Liechtensteinische Landesbank AG and LLB Treuhand AG, 9490 Vaduz, Accounts numbered 208.63898 and 213.042.67, in the name of Alexander Yakovlev or Olga Yakoleva; and
(2) LLB AG and LLB Treuhand AG, 9490 Vaduz, Accounts numbered 212.440.51 and 213.036.32 in the name of Angelus Finance Ltd, for which Alexander Yakovlev is the financial beneficiary. On February 10, 2011, the court ented a Satisfaction of Forfeiture Money Judgment, noting that the accounts had been forfeited by the Principality of Liechtenstein. (Sources: U.S. v. Kuznetsov, Case No. 1:05-cr-00916-DAB (S.D.N.Y.), Judgment filed in a criminal case, filed October 19, 2007; U.S. v. Yakovlev, Case No. 1:05-cr-00819-DAB (S.D.N.Y.), Consent Order of Forfeiture filed on December 22, 2010; Satisfaction of Forfeiture Money Judgment, filed February 10, 2011.)
On December 22, 2010, Mr. Yakovlev was sentenced to two years' supervised release. His sentence followed a guilty plea on August 8, 2005 on three counts: conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. (Source: US v. Yakovlev, Case No. 1:05-cr-00819-DAB (S.D.N.Y.), Judgment in a Criminal Case, filed on December 22, 2010.)
Mr. Kuznetsov was sentenced, on October 12, 2007, to 51 months' imprisonment and two years' supervised release. (Source: U.S. v. Kuznetsov, Case No. 1:05-cr-00916-DAB (S.D.N.Y.), Judgment filed in a criminal case, filed October 19, 2007.)
United States: the investigative agency was the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, UN Independent Inquiry Committee into the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme. The prosecuting authority/civil attorney(s) was the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. The court involved was the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
In announcing Mr. Yakovlev's plea, Mr. David N. Kelley, then-United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York "praised the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In addition, Mr. KELLEY thanked the United Nations Office of Investigative Oversight Services for its assistance in the investigation." (Source: United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Press Release, "Former U.N. Procurement Officer Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges Arising from His Receipt of Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars from Foreign Companies Doing Business with the U.N.," August 8, 2005.); United Nations sharing of information with United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York and UN waiver of immunity for Mr. Yakovlev (Source: Opening statement by UN Chief of Staff Mark Malloch-Brown at a press conference on the Oil-for-Food programme (8 August 2005).
| Document Title | Size and Format | Document Type | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UN statement on Yakovlev UN Waiver Immunity August 5, 2005 | 76.77 KB pdf | International/multilateral organization report | Download |
| United Nations Independent Inquiry Committee into the United Nations Oil-for-Food Programme, Third Interim Report: ... | 3.67 MB pdf | International/multilateral organization report | Download |