April 03, 2008	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 25, 1429

NEW YORK, April 2: A former senior UN procurement officer has been sentenced in New York to eight years in jail over an influence-peddling scandal involving UN contracts worth more than $50 million.

Indian-born Sanjaya Bahel was found guilty last June of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of cash, first-class plane tickets and favourable real estate deals from Nishan Kohli, a businessman working with the UN.

Bahel gave inside information to Kohli’s company, Thunderbird Industries, and other firms he represented, from at least as early as 2000, giving him an advantage in bidding for UN contracts, according to prosecutors.

Kohli earlier pleaded guilty in the case and testified against Bahel, who was convicted of mail fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy and accepting corrupt payments by an official of organisation receiving federal funds.

A statement from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesperson last year said Ban had noted the verdict.

“The secretary general expects all vendors, contractors and their representatives to conduct their business with the United Nations with highest levels of integrity and honesty,” the statement said.—AFP