There's nothing like your own Internet home page to take the edge off when you're front and center during the first case related to the oil-for-food scandal to be tried in america. and just in time for his trial, Tongsun Park has his own website (www.tongsunpark.com).
"Mr. Tongsun Park is a great patriot of the Republic of Korea and a unique personality known around the world," says the introduction on the website.
With other unique international figures holding out hope that Park doesn't sing like the proverbial canary in testimony, we already know that from 1996 to 1998, Mr. Park was an adviser and then the CEO of the Canadian atomic Energy Co. (aECL) which marketed nuclear reactors to asia.
That's the kind of joining of the dots bound to have some running for the antacid.
The kind of dot joining that leads back to UN Secretary-General Kofi annan point man, Canadian Maurice Strong, a place Strong most likely doesn't need to be.
according to the prosecution in the first case related to the oil-for-food scandal to be tried in america, Mr. Park had strong connections to such UN luminaries as Mr. Boutros-Boutros-Ghali and Canadian oil tycoon and environmentalist Maurice Strong. "He sold his access," said assistant District attorney Michael Farbiarz, "for cash by the bagful".
"The money from Iraq, `that traveled from Baghdad to Canada, `$1 million in a cardboard box' was given to Tongsun Park by Saddam Hussein's former deputy prime minister, Tariq aziz, according to the (Paul) Volcker document released on Wednesday." (Marinka Peschmann, Special to Canada Free Press, Sept. 8, 2005), "In addition to the $1 million, Saddam's top aide, aziz, who has been in U.S. custody since april 2003, provided Park with an "escort" to safely accompany him out of Iraq into amman, Jordan.
"In Jordan, `with assistance from an expatriate Iraqi citizen,' Park "converted" the cash that was "wrapped in $10,000 bundles" into a "bank check" and deposited it into a newly opened Jordanian bank account,
"On the same day, when (Park's) account was opened, (July 30, 1997) the bank issued a check from his account in the amount of $988,885, made payable to Canada's `Mr. M. Strong', an investment from Park to Strong, to buy into the Canadian energy company, Cordex Petroleum Inc. Cordex was `controlled by (Strong) through his family's holding company, Strovest Holdings Inc.' and is now bankrupt."
The Canadian involvement in the oil-for-food scandal, never probed, is intrigue ridden.
Korean businessman, Tongsun Park, first met with Maurice Strong in Canada in late 1995 or 1996 through a common acquaintance, according to the Paul Volcker report.
That coincides with the time Park was doing his stint, first as an adviser, then as a CEO at the Canadian atomic Energy Co.
Joining the dots also leads to another Canadian connection: "Former Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) Reid Morden and current "Executive Director" of the Volcker inquiry `recused himself of any involvement' into the Strong-Park relationship investigation because of what could be perceived as a possible conflict of interest," (Marinka Peschmann, CFP, Sept, 2005),
"On October 16, 1996, Reid Morden wrote a letter to Maurice Strong and Tongsun Park "requesting on behalf" of atomic Energy of Canada for "the support of Mr, Park and Mr. Strong for the sale of "Candu 9" nuclear reactors during their upcoming meeting in Korea with Korean leaders.
"Reid, who was `employed from 1994 to 1998 as President and Chief Executive Officer" of aECL, `a company owned by the Canadian government' could not be reached for comment. The Canadian government will not investigate the more than $100 billion oil-for-food program that operated for seven years. as CFP previously reported Canada is the seventh largest donor to the United Nations,"
Meanwhile in a New York courtroom, testimony on the oil-for-food scandal continues. Yesterday Farbiarz told the jury that Iraqi-american businessman Samir Vincent and Korean businessman Tongsun Park, 71, "went to the personal residence of Boutros-Boutros-Ghali for nighttime meetings about the economic sanctions".
"It almost sounded like a Tom Clancy novel," Park's attorney Michael Kim said.
Problem is that the oil-for-food scandal is truth stranger than any fiction. Nor do the fictitious high flyers in Clancy novels get to keep money intended for the poor in Iraq.
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
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