Maple,
Was Annan found to have acted criminally in the Oil-for-food mess? As I understand it, the Volker enquiry thought not - and if they had, do you really think that he'd still be there? Was he foolish in not questioning his son Kojo harder about the company he was working for and keeping? Yes, IMHO he absolutely was.
But this is hardly relevant to your point - the overwhelming majority of international lawyers also think Annan's interpretation of the 2002 Iraq Resolution (UNSCR 1441) was right - indeed, even the UK Attorney-General agreed that the US was in a minority of one in interpreting UNSCR 1441 to mean that member states could decide whether or not Iraq was cooperating, rather than returning the question to Secuirty Council for discussion. So on this basis, and given the importance - symbolic or otherwise - of the UN, and the cautious but influential position of the Secretary-General, Annan's views, on behalf of the UN, are important.
S41