UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has sprung into action, suspending the head of the Iraqi Oil-For-Food program with pay.

UNITED NATIONS - Secretary-General Kofi Annan suspended the head of the U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq and a senior official who dealt with contracts, following an independent investigation that accused them of misconduct, a spokesman said Monday.

Benon Sevan, who was in charge of the $64 billion humanitarian program, and Joseph Stephanides, who heads the U.N. Security Council Affairs Division, were told Friday that they had been suspended with pay, spokesman Fred Eckhard said.

Sevan, of course, is already retired.

Sevan retired from the United Nations but remains on the payroll for $1 a year to help with the investigation. Stephanides is scheduled to retire in about five months.