As details of the scandal involving the U.N.’s Iraq Oil for Food program continue to dribble from inside and outside the world body (See: Oil for Osama, Scandal Continues to Grow, and U.N.-Inspections), U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has pledged a complete investigation and promised that those found guilty of corruption or improper behavior will be punished. To that end, Annan recruited former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker to lead a U.N.-sponsored probe.

Unfortunately, the apparent intransigence of the U.N. is making Volcker’s investigation a sham. Among the roadblocks Volcker has encountered are:

Volcker and his team have no subpoena power and no authority to require statements under oath. Thus, Volcker is deprived of an essential tool necessary for compelling material witnesses to talk and the U.N.’s bureaucracy to give up its secrets.

He is forced to rely on the U.N. for significant portions of his staff and office space, thus putting him at the mercy of the U.N. bureaucracy’s whims. This compelled dependence and other limitations have hampered Volcker’s efforts to hire his own staff of experts and made it impossible for him to move the investigation forward.

Most importantly, for Volcker’s probe to be effective, he must complete a thorough examination of complex financial records, audits, contracts, and other documentation while at the same time questioning U.N. staff, contractors, and other parties scattered across the globe. This requires a substantial budget. But recently, Bill Safire, writing in the New York Times, reported that Volcker’s budget is inadequate.

So, three months after Volcker’s panel was appointed, Volcker has hired no staff, has little money, and has made no progress in the U.N.’s investigation.

Meanwhile, truly independent investigations are being blocked by the U.N.’s refusal to disclose or release any information. And a dispute between U.S. Administrator Paul Bremer and the Iraqi interim government has halted progress on an investigation by international accounting firm KPMG.

So much for Kofi Annan’s assurances. While the U.N.’s investigation stagnates, outside investigations wither on the vine thanks to U.N. obstinacy. If there was ever any chance that the truth about the corruption of the Oil for Food program was going to be revealed, that looks less and less likely every day.

And that means that we may never know the extent to which Saddam and his cronies benefited from the program and how much money they funneled to other enemies of the United States.