The action is an unusual departure for the United Nations, which has usually gathered data from governments rather than professional investigators. Kroll's specialty is aiding multinational firms, banks and other businesses in a variety of intelligence and security probes.
Stories are legion from bankrolls under mattresses to channels to accounts under shell companies.
But the council's panel insists legal methods have to be used to gather the data. Ryan, who visited Angola recently, said the sanctions had begun to bite but that highly organized networks were continuing the trade in illicit diamonds. But the council is still divided on this. The war has resulted in hundreds of thousands of casualties and the uprooting of about a quarter of the population of some 12 million. If you appreciate the information we provide, please support our work.