KOFI ANNAN, struggling to survive as the United Nations Secretary-General, plans to blame his son for embroiling him in the oil-for-food scandal when a UN inquiry issues a harsh report tomorrow.

UN officials are hoping to deflect criticism of the UN chief by insisting that his son misled him about payments that he, Kojo, 29, received from a UN contractor. The inquiry, led by Paul Volcker, the former chairman of the US Federal Reserve, is expected to criticise Mr Annan’s management lapses, in particular his failure to notice the apparent conflict of interest of his son working for a company that was awarded a UN contract. It will confirm that Mr Annan repeatedly met representatives of the firm, Cotecna Inspection SA.

The Volcker commission is expected to say that it has found no evidence that Mr Annan rigged the UN bidding process to help Cotecna to win a 1998 border inspection contract in Iraq, nor that he personally received any financial benefit. The report will, however, detail previously unknown payments by Cotecna to Kojo after he resigned from the firm before it won the contract, worth $10 million (£5.4 million) a year.

Cotecna now acknowledges that it paid Kojo approximately $365,000 over eight years — twice what it once admitted.

The oil-for-food scandal has overshadowed all other business at UN headquarters. Last week a report on UN reform disappeared from the headlines when it was revealed that the UN planned to use Iraqi oil money to pay for the legal defence of Benon Sevan, the accused former head of the oil-for-food programme.

Colleagues say Mr Annan is despondent. A foreign trip by Louise Frechette, his deputy, prompted speculation that she was getting herself noticed in case she had to take over.

Aides say that Mr Annan plans a “Billy Carter defence”, whereby he should not be held accountable for any transgressions by his son, just as Jimmy Carter was not forced from the White House when it emerged that his brother was lobbying for Libya.

Mark Malloch Brown, the UN Secretary-General’s chief of staff, said last week that Mr Annan expected to be exonerated, but that Kojo’s situation may be “very different”.

The commission has described how Fred Nadler, the brother-in-law of Boutros Boutros-Ghali, apparently helped Mr Sevan to set up an Iraqi oil deal for the former UN Secretary-General’s cousin.

Explore World News

• World Agenda

• Iraq News

• US & Americas News

• Europe News

• Middle East News

• Afghanistan News

• Asia News

• Africa News

• Ireland News

Times Recommends

• Henning Mankell: ‘If Wallander was alive, I wouldn’t be a friend of his’
• Secret society's skull and crossbones for sale
• Nigerian leader vanishes after medical treatment