A Russian diplomat who once headed the United Nations budget oversight committee has been convicted of money laundering.
A New York jury Wednesday found Vladimir Kuznetsov guilty of helping to launder hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes by foreign companies seeking U.N. contracts.
Kuznetsov faces as much as 20 years in prison when he is sentenced in June.
Kuznetsov was accused of helping another U.N. employee hide more than $300,000 in bribes in connection with the now-defunct oil-for-food program for Iraq.
The employee, Alexander Yakovlev, pleaded guilty in 2005 and testified against Kuznetsov.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
