On Ban Ki-moon's Son In Law Sid Chatterjee's Predecessor Bekele-Thomas, ICP Asks UN

By Matthew Russell Lee, Follow Up on Exclusives

UNITED NATIONS, September 8 -- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in late August awarded the top UN job in Kenya to his own son in law, Siddharth Chatterjee, and did not recuse himself.

After Inner City Press asked about this textbook case of nepotism, video here, Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric replied that an inter-agency advisory panel had been involved, before Ban signed the letter appointing his own son in law to the post.

On September 7 as Inner City Press asked follow-up questions about this serial nepotism and attempts to cover it up, Ban Ki-moon's spokesman Dujarric said "ridiculous accusation" and walked away from the microphone. Vine here, Beyond the Vine video here.

On September 8, Inner City Press asked another (interim) question about Ban's promotion of his son in law. Beyond the Vine video here, UN transcript here:

Inner City Press: This may be an interim question.  But I wanted to know, in continuing to try to, I guess, await a response on this son-in-law of the Secretary-General and his promotion, this DOCO, just for your own information, the Development Operations Cooperation [Coordination] Office, has not responded to… to any of the questions sent to them.  Maybe you can light a fire under them…

Spokesman:  We will push, but I really have nothing more to say on Mr. [Siddarth] Chatterjee.

ICP Question: What I wanted to ask is, I was looking at the… actually the Twitter profile of Nardos Bekele-Thomas, who was the resident coordinator and still lists herself as the resident coordinator.  And I'm told that she now works on the 38th Floor.  So I wanted to know… to some… I mean, the previous one moved from Kenya to the 38th Floor, and the son-in-law of the head of the 38th Floor is now in the job.  So I wanted to just get from you a description.  What is Ms. Nardos Bekele-Thomas' current position, if you're aware?

Spokesman:  She's the… she works with the Deputy Chef de Cabinet, on the 38th Floor.

ICP Question:  And what was her… what's the usual term of a resident coordinator?  She began in 2013 in Kenya.

Spokesman:  I… it could be from one, two, three, four, five years.  It depends.
Inner City Press: Maybe tell her to update her profile…

Spokesman:  I will.

  But eight hours later and counting, it remained the same, and Ban Ki-moon's son in law continued to block Inner City Press on Twitter, as does Dujarric. We'll have more on this.

Dujarric has refused to say who was on this "inter-agency" panel; he told Inner City Press to "ask UNDP," which in term told Inner City Press to ask something called the "DOCO" which doesn't have a spokesperson. [Inner City Press on September 6 submitted questions via a form, photo here.]

On September 7 at noon Inner City Press told Dujarric, a former UNDP spokesman, about the lack of answer from DOCO. By 4 pm on September 7, after Dujarric's "ridiculous accusation" line and walk-away, YouTube video here, there was still no answer.

Dujarric didn't answer any of Inner City Press' questions submitted on Friday September 2 at noon, then deferred another until September 6. So on that day, Inner City Press asked again. Beyond the Vine here, YouTube with intro here.

From the UN Transcript:

Inner City Press:  beyond the inter-agency panel that you described, whatever, 10 days ago, and the Secretary-General’s signing a letter appointing his son-in-law the head of the UN system in Kenya that DPA [Department of Political Affairs] plays a role?  Because I’ve been told in the interim that, in fact, in politically sensitive or important countries that there is a DPA role.  So I wanted you to say yes or no on that.  And I also wanted you to say whether people at a certain level of the UN sign now a form having to do with human rights record, not only prospectively, but retrospectively and, if so, if that’s a form that the son-in-law has signed.

Spokesman:  I’m not aware of what role DPA plays in consulting and appointing our RCs [Resident Coordinators].  The process I described to you about a week ago is the same.  The inter-agency panel makes a recommend… makes one recommendation.  The Secretary-General stayed well away from this… from this discussion.  He has to sign the letter, as the RC is the representative.  As for the human rights issue, whether or not that is a prerequisite for Resident Coordinators, I’m not aware.

ICP Question:  I guess my question is this, because… and please do check on the DPA thing, because I have it from within DPA that countries smaller than Kenya with less US [sic] operations that, in fact, they review three names.  And so the reason it’s important is, it seems to be what you’re saying about the sensitivities that you’re saying this decision-making was well out of the Secretary-General’s control, and if it’s in DPA, it’s a lot closer, and it would be important to know.  So I want to reiterate my request to know who is on the panel.  Like, you could get the information, and they’re not providing it.

Spokesman:  We’ll see what information they can provide you. 

More than a day later, nothing.

Meanwhile Ban's son in law Chatterjee's response is to block Inner City Press on Twitter, photo here.

  This comes as others in the loop ask Inner City Press why it was that the previous holder of the UN's top job in Kenya, Nardos Bekele-Thomas, who was only appointed in 2013, left to a job with Ban's chief of staff after so little time. "This was so Ban could get his son in law the post before leaving," a well place source says. Ban's spokesman has declined to answer questions.

  Now other sources tell Inner City Press it's worse - between the inter agency panel and Ban, the ultimate conflicted decision maker, there is for countries like Kenya (where the UN has a regional headquarters) a role for Ban's Department of Political Affairs, for which Dujarric also purportedly speaks.

  Inner City Press on September 4 reiterated its September 2 unanswered questions, and two more, to Dujarric, who said he will effort to answer them... on September 6.

Meanwhile, an ally of Ban's son in law Chatterjee, Dalvir Singh, has called this series of articles, despite Ban's spokesman's stonewalling and refusal to answer, unfair -- "scurrilous, unfounded and mendacious accusations" by a "blogger."

Dalvir Singh, involved like Chatterjee in the deadly and controversial Jaffna University helidrop, says of Inner City Press "I have noted that he seems to be obsessed with Major Chatterjee since 2007 when his father-in-law Ban became the UN Secretary-General."

  If true - that is, if not ghost written by Chatterjee, or his father in law's handlers - why would this Indian military figure be "noting" Inner City Press' coverage since 2007? And doesn't this just indicate that Ban Ki-moon's ouster and eviction of Inner City Press in 2016, through Ban's USG Cristina Gallach, is blatant retaliation for coverage? This is censorship.

This is Team Ban's response to questions and stories about the John Ashe and Ng Lap Seng case, DPI Gallach's failure to do due diligence, all leading to ouster and eviction.

 Turns out Chatterjee, to get previous stories buried, has offered goodies only his father in law can dole out - for example, introduction and advancment in his father in law's Secretariat, an Office involved. We'll have more on this. And on these places in Sri Lanka during the time frame:

Velvettiturai; Kokuvil; Jaffna Hospital; Manippai; Sandilippai; Chunnakam, Mallakam, Uduvil, Manipay, Maruthanamadam and Inuvil; tellingly, journalists of “Eezha Murasu” and “Murasoli.” We'll have more on these. Meanwhile, while blocking Inner City Press, Sid Chatterjee's followers show / tell Inner City Press Sid is re-tweeting US Power, and photos of his father in law, here.

  Inner City Press asked Dujarric who was on the panel that proposed Ban's son in law to him -- through DPA, it now appears --  to assess if they were independent from Ban, and who the other candidates, at least on the short list, were.

 Dujarric has refused to provide this information, and has refused all other Inner City Press questions about Ban's son in law, including about his activities in Sri Lanka as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force.

Dujarric has refused to answer; on September 2, he did not even acknowledge receipt of Inner City Press' questions, including about Ban's meeting with Sri Lankan President Sirisena.

   As Ban's spokesman knows, Ban was in Sri Lanka; the story can't wait. So today Inner City Press reports that it has been told of Siddarth Chatterjee posing with dead and disfigured Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam; this has been described as a war crime.

   Inner City Press twice this week asked Dujarric to describe and comment on Ban Ki-moon's son in law's activities in Sri Lanka; it is all the more pressing given the most recent UN promotion without recusal. Inner City Press also asked what forms and rules apply, a question also ignored by Dujarric with respect to a fundraiser held in the UN with Ban's past envoy to Sri Lanka, Vijay Nambiar. Inner City Press asked Dujarric to comment in this context on this, authored by Ban's son in law Sid Chatterjee: no answers.

   And so in common journalistic practice, to assist reader in deciding whether to believe or not believe these reports of Chatterjee posing with dead and disfigured combatants in violation of the Geneva Conventions, we disclose that one of the sources clearly has an interest: Chatterjee's ex-wife Shirpa Sen.

She is a medical doctor; she has said Chatterjee threatened her to stop providing any information to Inner City Press and an Indian journalist whose publication Chatterjee got to remove a report about one of his promotions under Ban from the Internet. (Censorship seems to run in the family.)

The allegation is that Chatterjee dropped her and then saw his career path advance under his new father in law, Ban Ki-moon; he made threats to make the issues of the past go away.

   We disclose this because readers have a right to know of the interest or animus of the source of information. Here is another online report; here on a court website is the decision on the divorce appeal. And here is an earlier report of Inner City Press asking Ban's spokespeople about Chatterjee's military record, in Sri Lanka Ban's 2009 visit to which Inner City Press covered in-person (Inner City Press has since been BANned, restricted.)

  A direct comment of any kind from Ban Ki-moon's spokesman, requested all week, would have been preferable.

 But Ban and his Under Secretary General for Public Information Cristina Gallach should not be able to censor by throwing the Press into the street, New York Times here, audio here.

Likewise Ban's spokesman cannot be allowed to prevent a timely article by simply refusing to even acknowledge questions submitted in writing, especially after he began the week telling Inner City Press (and the Free UN Coalition for Access which asked for in-person briefings) that he would be answering questions all week.

Ban Ki-moon's Spokesman did not answer these questions, nor on September 2 even acknowledge receipt of them. Whatever comes in, belatedly, we will publish.

Update: on September 2, from UNDP to which Ban's spokesman Dujarric referred questions then refused to answer any, came this: "All your questions need to be directed to DOCO. "

So Ban's Dujarric referred the questions about Ban's son in law to UNDP, which refers then on to DOCO. When one Googles DOCO, one gets "DOCO The Donut & Coffee Company."

Amid these UN scandals, corruption and nepotism, Ban Ki-moon is now on a two week tour seemingly meant to preview how he could be as South Korean president, visiting Singapore, Myanmar, now Sri Lanka, China and Laos.

For Ban Ki-moon's visit to Sri Lanka, which is seen as one of the (many) major failures of his UN tenure, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric, "On the SG's son in law Siddharth Chatterjee, please describe in activities in Sri Lanka including with the IPKF -- locations, and if available confirmed kills -- including in light of this piece he authored."

Ban Ki-moon's Dujarric replied, six hours later: "It's not for me to comment on a staff member's writings on an activity that preceded employment with the UN."

This seems a strange position for an Organization ostensibly concerned with human rights. Could Shavendra Silva work for the UN? Well, he WAS an adviser to Ban.

In fact, some UN officials are required to sign pledges regarding their human rights records. So on September 2 at noon, Inner City Press asked Dujarric:

"On the Secretary General's son in law Siddharth Chatterjee's activities in Sri Lanka, you have not answered on what he DID, stating only that “It's not for me to comment on a staff members writings on an activity that preceded employment with the UN.”

In this light, please confirm or deny that there is a place a policy under which UN officials including USGs and ASGs (please specify what level the Secretary General's son in law is at, as Resident Coordinator in Kenya) must certify compliance with human rights, and state whether this covers time before UN employment." Inner City Press has also asked Dujarric:

"This is a request that your Office confirm or deny that the Secretary General did not specifically mention the UNHRC resolution during his meeting with Sri Lanka President Sirisena, in light of a public report that “The President told us that Ban did not mention the UNHRC resolution even in the 10 minute one-to-one meeting he had with him. In fact Ban expressed satisfaction about the way the Sri Lankan government is handling the issue of reconciliation,” a reliable source in the President’s Office" said.

Five hours later, no answer. This is Ban Ki-moon's UN.

Including in light of the recent non-recusal, we linked to and quote this Sri Lanka piece by Ban's son in law Siddarth Chatterjee:

“The Sri Lankan Army deserves all our respect, gratitude and admiration. These are men who have proved worthy of their calling, and I pray that their fortunes reverse and they are able to inflict on the Tamil Terrorists(not Tigers, as tigers have honour too), a final decisive blow, that puts the LTTE in the dust bin of history. It is a period that calls for strong nerves, single-mindedness (of purpose) and intuitive convictions that success can still be yours after these reverses. They are men of sterling character, and I hope they overcome and demolish the LTTE, this organization of pathological tyrants and killers.”

  Among these Sri Lankan Army heroes are several who would be put on trial for war crimes by any legitimate / international investigation, an issue which Ban is skirting. We'll have more on this.

  In advance of Ban's latest junket, he or his propaganda team granted selected interviews to prepare the ground -- “interview” conducted in writing, without disclosure of who wrote the answers. Pro-Ban editorials by out of date diplomats were arranged (for example here, see comments). But how can blatant nepotism be explained away?

   Inner City Press on August 26 asked Ban's spokesman which of Ban's aides it was who spun the Korea Times on Ban's chances to become South Korea's president in 2017, video here.

While Ban's Office of the Spokesperson took daily questions at noon during Ban's six-day sojourn in South Korea in May, for this trip his spokesman will not be holding briefings (he has already, on Burundi at least, proved unwilling to answer Press questions in writing). As set out below, this is Ban's censorship.

  We will be covering Ban's trip - watch this site.

Under Ban the UN has become so lawless that Ban's son-in-law Siddharth Chatterjee was just named UN Resident Representative in Kenya without Ban recusing himself.  Inner City Press reported and asked about this on August 25. On August 26, Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed that Ban had not recused himself, had in fact signed the letter giving his own son in law the job, see below.

It was repeatedly reported that Ban would be in Kenya today for the 6th Tokyo International Conference on African Development Summit, TICADIV or TICAD6. Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Dujarric if Ban would go there and was told to wait with bated anticipation. Now Ban is NOT there - right after his promotion of his own son in law there was exposed.

 How is this acceptable in an international organization? Or this: Ban's mentor Han Seung-soo is a UN official allowed to be on the boards of directors of Standard Chartered, which has UN banking contracts, and Doosan which makes sales to countries Han gives “UN” speeches to.

   On August 25, Inner City Press asked Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric if Ban had recused himself from any role in his son-in-law's promotion, video here.

From the UN transcript:

Inner City Press: Mr. Chatterjee was named the UN representative in Kenya.  So I wanted to know, what’s the process for the naming of a resident representative?  And given this he’s the son-in-law of the Secretary-General, was there any recusal made?  I’m not saying he’s not qualified.  I’m not saying he’s not a long-time official.  I’m just wondering what is the process…[inaudible]… for someone being named…

Spokesman:  The regular process was used.  The fact that he is, indeed, the son-in-law of the Secretary-General, I think, does not take away anything from his very strong service over the years…

Inner City Press: I’m asking about the process.

Spokesman:  Thank you.

Dujarric's only response is that Chatterjee is qualified. That was not the question. After Inner City Press highlighted this, Ban's spokesman Dujarric returned on August 26 with a "supplemental" statement, which still confirmed that Ban had not recused himself, had in fact signed the approval of his own son in law for the promotion. Video here. From the UN Transcript:

Spokesman Dujarric: I also just wanted to give you a little bit more details on the issue you had raised yesterday with Mr. Chatterjee and expand on what I'd said.  Mr. Chatterjee was chosen through the regular process which is basically that the candidates are chosen by an interagency advisory panel which… which does not… and especially in this case… did not involve the Secretary-General.  I think he has been fully aware of the situation and has kept well away from the selection process.  For RCs, the candidates are chosen and recommended by the interagency panel.  The name of the recommended candidate is then given to the Secretary-General to sign off on.  He does not involve himself… and as I said, especially in this case… involve himself in the selection… in the selection process.  And I would just, again, reiterate Mr. Chatterjee's, I think, very strong qualifications in his career with ICRC and the UN over the years.

Inner City Press: I looked into it, too.  It seemed like they sent it to the UNDG Chair and the Secretary-General.  That's why I was asking yesterday.

Spokesman:  No, I understand.  The Secretary-General… the Secretary-General is very aware of the sensitivities of this case and has stayed well away from it.  The final signature… because the way this works is the Resident Coordinator represents the UN, and it needs the agreement of the host country.  So, the letter of appointment, in a sense, has to be signed by the Secretary-General.  But, his name is given to him by the interagency panel.

ICP Question:  Can I ask you one other?

Spokesman:  I’ll come back to you.  Video here.

Nor have the questions about Han Seung-soo, who refuses Ban's supposed call for public financial disclosure, been answered.

  Instead, Inner City Press which has asked about each of Chatterjee's promotions though the UN system under Ban (for example to and from UNOPS including censorship by the son in law, like Ban) and in the past ten months about Ban's and his head of communications Cristina Gallach's links with the John Ashe / Ng Lap Seng UN bribery scandal, was ousted from the UN in February 2016 (audio here) and had its investigative files evicted onto First Avenue in April (video here). NYT here.

   Since then Inner City Press has been BANned from covering UN events on the second floor unless it has a minder which stays with it all the time; sometime Inner City Press is told there are not enough minders, and coverage is entirely prohibited. This is censorship under Ban Ki-moon.

The UN has been asked why it evicted Inner City Press by, among others, the Government Accountability Project, the UN Special Rapporteurs of Freedom of Expression and on Human Rights Defenders (to whom Gallach provided a false statement two months later about an altercation that never occurred), the SFRC (the UN's response quotes Dujarric) and by Nobel Peace Prize winner Jose Ramos Horta (to whom Gallach falsely claimed that Inner City Press is not not being restricted), and in this petition to Ban.

But the censorship continues.

.@UN Sec Gen Mr Ban Ki Moon & his wife Ms Ban meeting with the UN Country Teams, #Kenya & #Somalia + UN Agencies pic.twitter.com/goR5DvKBER

— SIDDHARTH CHATTERJEE (@sidchat1) June 28, 2014

Gallach's DPI is giving Inner City Press' long time shared office to an Egypt state media, Akhbar Al Yom, whose UN representative Sanaa Youssef rarely comes to the UN, and never asks questions - Dujarric refused to confirm this obvious fact, saying he "does not take attendance" -- but who is a former president of the Ban-friendly UN Correspondents Association.

Inner City Press put the question of recusal to Ban's spokesman Dujarric entirely civilly, without (there) calling into question Chatterjee's qualification or history (including in Sri Lanka, to which Ban Ki-moon is ironically headed for a visit). Watch this site.

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