United Nations booster Maurice Strong has been as scarce as Osama bin Laden since his ties to Saddam Hussein agent Tongsun Park were made public.
Strong has been off the radar screen since last april.
although according to South Korea's Joonang Ilbo daily, South Korean businessman Tongsun Park was reported to be hiding in Tokyo and considering a U.S. plea bargain, he was arrested by the FBI in Houston on Friday. The media dubbed "Koreagate Man" was arrested on charges that he worked as an unregistered agent for Iraq in the UN Oil-For-Food program (OFFP) and received millions of dollars for his efforts.
One of those millions was a cheque, made out in the name of M. Strong for Cordex Petroleum Inc., a company under Strong's control. Four percent of Cordex was owned by Strong's protégé Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin.
Park was charged on a criminal complaint in april. Federal prosecutors filed new charges against him on Friday.
The U.S. investigation into the oil-for-food program has resulted in criminal charges against 11 people. Last month, page 35 of a 54-page report, written by members on a House International Relations subcommittee stated: "Maurice Strong should be examined for his role in the OFFP."
It is all but guaranteed that they won't be finding Strong anywhere in Canada until after the January 23 federal election.
With scandals already plaguing the Liberal government, the last thing they need is a reminder of the cheque that Strong, Paul Martin's senior advisor, accepted from Park.
When the heat hit last april, Strong, the top UN envoy for North Korea, volunteered to suspend his work while investigators probed his ties to Park.
While Strong may have reinvented himself as the artful Dodger where authorities are concerned, he's still a global gadfly who remains active in the background.
On april 19 2005, Strong said he was stepping down as UN envoy in North Korea.
On June 3 2005, Strong was interviewed for emagazine.com, "the Online Home of E/The Environmental Magazine.
"I've got a variety of titles," Strong boasted to San Francisco-based freelance writer Michael Stoll. "The one I like best is honorary professor at the University of Beijing in China and at the Environmental Management College of China. I'm very active in China; I spend a lot of time there, because what happens in China is going to matter to the whole world. There's a whole new environmental renaissance in China. It's a little late coming, but it's absolutely necessary for the future of China, and absolutely necessary for the future of all of us who want a sustainable way of life to be maintained on our planet."
In terms of prestigious titles, other bones have been thrown Strong's way, including the one declaring him The Honourary Consul of Bhutan.
"Bhutan, a small country in South asia, has kept its distance from the outside world to preserve its culture and ecology." Says South asia Partnership Canada (SaP).
Park is due to appear in federal court today.
Meanwhile, if the FBI wants to talk to Maurice Strong, they might try a certain five-star hotel in Beijing.
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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