Ban
Ki-moon's
Anti-Staff
Legacy Reviewed,
ICP Publishes
Leaked Audit
of Pensions
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Follow up on
Exclusives
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 11 --
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.
UN
irregularities
under Ban have
extended to
the UN Joint
Staff Pension
Fund, a
confidential
UN Office of
Internal
Oversight
Services audit
of which Inner
City Press
exclusively
published in
full text, here, and embedded below.
Now
Ban's
relations with
UN staff,
beyond not
paying them
their benefits,
is summarized
in this issued
today by the
Staff Union
Ban tried to
break:
Ban
Ki-moon's
Legacy to
Staff
Refused
to meet with
the elected
President of
the Staff
Union,
flouting the
Staff Rules
and General
Assembly
resolutions —
the first
Secretary-General
to ever to do
so;
Fired
the First
Vice-President
of the Staff
Union, a
permanent
contract-holder,
and did so
after his
officials
advised that
this would be
unlawful (the
United Nations
Dispute
Tribunal
eventually
issued a
searing
indictment;
see judgment
UNDT/2016/181);
Stripped
away the
Staff’s
ability to
engage in any
meaningful way
on matters of
interest to
their welfare
and working
conditions by
unilaterally
removing the
consensus rule
from the
Staff-Management
Committee
rules of
procedure —
which he
himself had
promulgated;
Attempted
to bust the
Staff Union by
interfering in
the internal
affairs of the
Union and
declaring a
“dispute”, and
persisted with
that
determination
after
unanimous
affirmations
by the Union’s
organs that
this was not
the case,
including a
resolution
adopted by the
Staff;
Voluntarily
cut the budget
of the
Organization,
at a time of
ever-increasing
mandates, and
then asked the
Staff to do
more with
less, while
the budget of
his Office
grew to be by
far the
largest of any
of his
predecessors;
Pushed
through a
“mobility”
scheme and
flawed
staff-selection
system,
without the
requisite
consultation
with the Staff
and their
representatives,
despite the
enormous
potential
impact on the
welfare of the
Staff;
Imposed
a “flexible
workspace”
arrangement,
again without
proper
consultation
with the Staff
and their
representatives,
that will
cause major
disruption to
workflow and
negatively
impact the
efficiency of
many
services;
Openly
and publicly
denigrated the
Staff as
“selfish”;
[ICP scoop,
before Ban
ousted,
evicted and
now restricts
it]
Ignored
calls from the
Staff Union
that the
declaration by
his senior
officials not
to engage with
the Staff’s
legal
representatives
was creating
chaos among
the Staff, and
looked the
other way as
his managers
selectively
“consulted”
with their
chosen members
of the Staff
and then
called that
proper
consultation;
Attempted
an
eleventh-hour
self-rehabilitation
by hijacking
Staff Day,
which has
always been a
Staff
Union-organized
event, as an
effort to
manipulate
public opinion
and paper over
his otherwise
disastrous
attitude and
actions
towards his
Staff."
The
audit show
that Ban
Ki-moon has
failed,
unresponsive
even to UN
staff, leaving
them
unresponded to
even four
years after
death. The
audit states
among other
things that
"The
first action
to mitigate
the
accumulation
of outstanding
cases, which
was the
establishment
of a task
force, was
initiated in
February 20 I
6, which was
six months
after the
blackouts had
caused the
accumulation
of cases. The
delay in
taking
mitigating
actions in
turn
contributed to
delays in
processing /
payment of
benefits to
beneficiaries."
"There
was no
provision for
callers to
leave voice
mails if their
calls were not
answered. This
very low level
of response to
telephone
calls was
contrary to
the UNJSPF
Quality
Management
Policy which
stated that
the Fund
should respond
immediately to
telephone
calls during
working
hours."
"OIOS
review of the
relevant email
folder of
Client
Services on 24
August 2016
showed that
the last 'high
priority'
email
responded to
by Client
Services was
dated 22 June
2016 (i.e.,
two months
since
receipt)."
Note:
this is
similar to Ban
Ki-moon's top
two
spokespeople,
who did not
even confirm
receipt Inner
City Press'
November 25
questions
including
about use of
funds and
restrictions
on media; the
deputy
spokesman
later used the
December 8
noon briefing
to justify,
while still
not answering.
This
too: "On 6
June 2016,
another iSeek
announcement
reported that
the Fund
Secretariat
had cleared 97
per cent of
the backlog of
3,436 cases,
leaving only
95 cases (3
per cent) to
be
processed/paid
in June 2016.
However, OlOS
review
indicated that
1,368 of these
3,436 cases
were yet to be
processed/paid
as of 31 May
2016."
Then
again, OIOS
has yet to act
on detailed
conflict of
interest
complaints
filed in
February 2013
and reiterated
in November,
involving not
only Ban but
also his head
of
Communications
Cristina
Gallach,
already named
in an OIOS
audit, here,
in Paragraphs
37-40 and
20b. Access
to Ban will be
sold for $1200
on December 16
- is this
appropriate?
Ban's
service is
even worse in
Africa, to
staff as to
such crises as
Burundi and
South Sudan.
From the
UNJSPF audit:
"OIOS
selected the
United Nations
Organization
Stabilization
Mission in the
Democratic
Republic of
the Congo
(MONUSCO) for
further
analysis of
long
outstanding
cases... OIOS
review of ten
longest
outstanding
cases, which
had not yet
been paid
after one year
or more,
showed that in
five cases,
the former
staff members
had died in
service. These
cases should
have been
given the
highest
priority, but
the surviving
beneficiaries
had not been
paid for more
than 4.5 years
since the
staff members'
death."
Ban Ki-moon
has failed;
while he now
leaves, so
should
Gallach. And
the UNJSPF
must be
reigned in.
We'll have
more on this.
After
Inner City
Press asked
about the
textbook case
of nepotism of
Ban promoting
his own son in
law, 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.
But then
Dujarric
refused to say
who was on
this 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.
Dujarric
didn't answer
any of Inner
City Press'
questions
submitted on
Friday
September 2 at
noon, then
deferred
another on
Burundi until
September 6.
Meanwhile
Ban's son in
law
Chatterjee's
response is to
block Inner
City Press on
Twitter, photo
here.
There
are more and
more
irregularities
in Ban
Ki-moon's UN
system - staff
say, a fish
rots from the
head - and
among staff
this is
circulating:
Ms. Jaana
Sareva is the
chief of the
legal office
of the Pension
Fund in New
York. Her
spouse lives
in Geneva,
also working
for the United
Nations.
How she covers
those miles
between New
York and
Geneva? Here
you are:
She
travels near
ten times a
year from New
York to
Geneva,
creating
unnecessary
trips and
fabricating
bureaucratic
unreal
reasons;
She is
often sick
(both
uncertified
and
certified),
for adding
more days to
her trips. She
uses the
maximum
available,
abusing the
benefits of
the United
Nations. She
gives us a
negative
example of how
a public
servant should
be;
She is not in
office
normally,
extending her
trips and
absences. None
of us know
where she is
during office
hours;
She
stays there
with her
husband in
Geneva (in his
house), but at
the same time
she has DSA in
her pocket for
comfort, and
enjoying life
in Europe from
where she is;
This
expensive game
costs more
than $50,000 a
year;
It has
been happening
since several
years ago,
with total
impunity;
The
CEO of our
Pension Fund,
Mr. Arvizu,
authorizes the
travel
expenses,
which ultimate
are paid by
all the
participants
and retirees
of the Pension
Fund. In the
meantime, the
Pension Fund
is not able to
deliver
pensions in
time and is
facing the
deepest and
biggest crisis
of management
since
creation, even
considering
the enormous
budget that we
have.
As to
Siddharth
Chatterjee's
promotion
signed by his
father in law,
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."
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 - we'll
have more on
this.
So Inner City
Press has
asked Dujarric
who was on
this panel, 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.
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
managed to get
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:
late on
September 2,
from UNDP to
which Ban's
spokesman
Dujarric
referred
questions then
refused to
answer any,
came this -
not naming the
panel or other
candidates,
but
immediately
published in
full:
From:
Anjali Kwatra
[at] undp.org
Date: Fri, Sep
2, 2016 at
9:36 PM
Subject: RE:
Press Qs on
Resident
Coordinator
selection
process for
SG's son in
law in Kenya:
who on
inter-agency
advisory
panel, who
were the
candidates,
given nepotism
issues raised
by lack of
recusal,
referred by
OSSG, thank
you in
advance,
-Matthew
To:
Matthew.Lee
[at]
InnerCityPress.com
Dear
Matthew,
Siddharth
Chatterjee was
chosen, in
line with
established
selection
process, by
the
Inter-Agency
Advisory Panel
of the United
Nations. Mr
Chatterjee is
highly
qualified for
this role and
was previously
the United
Nations
Population
Fund (UNFPA)
Representative
to Kenya. He
has also
worked in
senior roles
with the
International
Federation of
the Red Cross
& Red
Crescent
Societies
(IFRC), UN
Peace Keeping,
UNICEF and
UNOPS.
I would need
to come back
to you on your
other
questions.
Best,
Anjali Kwatra
Chief, Media
and Advocacy
United Nations
Development
Programme
Wait -
was Siddharth
Chatterhee
ever with UN
Peacekeeping?
Inner City
Press asked:
"Thanks for
this, but as I
asked UN Spox
this week, and
UNDP earlier
today, this is
a request,
given that the
SG signed the
letter
appointing his
son in law Mr.
Chatterjee UN
Resident
Coordinator in
Kenya, for the
disclosure of
who was on the
inter-agency
advisory panel
and who the
other
candidates, at
least on the
short list,
were
also - please
state when and
in what
capacity Mr.
Chatterjee
was, as you
say, in a
senior role in
UN Peace
Keeping."
This gave rise
to this curt
answer: "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.
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.
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.
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
UNOPSincluding
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.
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.