French diplomat spent oil-aid money on holiday home

One of France's most distinguished diplomats, Jean-Bernard Merimee, has confessed that he accepted oil allocations from Saddam Hussein.

Merimee is the first senior figure to admit his role in the oil-for-food scandal, a United Nations humanitarian scheme hijacked by Saddam to buy influence.

At the time, Merimee was a special adviser to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

Merimee told a judge that he used the $225,000 for his holiday home in Morocco.