Ban
Ki-moon
Opacity &
Fundraiser UNexplained,
Buck Passed on
DRC &
Juba, Soon?
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Follow Up on
Exclusives
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 30 --
Under
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon, 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.
On
August 30,
with Ban
Ki-moon amid a
junket that
will take him
to Sri Lanka,
and with Ban's
spokesman
Dujarric
having
canceled the
noon briefing
at which
questions
could be
asked, Inner
City Press
submitted
these
questions, not
one of which
was answered
or even
acknowledged
by 6 pm.
At
6:18 pm,
Dujarric
provided a few
answers, inserted
below and
immediately
published, in
fairness:
Aug 30
- 1: On
Western
Sahara, please
confirm UN
receipt of,
and provide
your public
explanation
of, the August
28 letter from
Frente
Polisario's
Minister of
Defense which
took issue, in
Paragraph 4,
of the UN
Deputy
Spokesperson's
August 18
answer (to
Inner City
Press'
question),
saying that
only civilian
vehicles were
observed, the
basis for that
statement and
any update,
including but
not limited to
confirming a
DPKO finding
that Morocco
sent in armed
security
personnel and
equipment.
Aug 30
- 2: Related
to the DR
Congo question
not responded
to yesterday
on Erengeti,
please confirm
that UN
(MONUSCO)
spokesperson
Felix Prosper
Basse has been
publicly
dismissive of
the DRC
Sanctions
Group of
Experts report
that FARDC
Brigadier
General
Muhindo Akili
Mundos,
charged with
the offensive
against the
ADF, helped
finance ADF
activities -
and state
whether
MONUSCO works
with or
support the
unit(s)
of
Brigadier
General
Muhindo Akili
Mundos and if
so why, in
light of the
UN Experts'
report.
Ban
Ki-moon's Spox
Dujarric:
"Nothing from
here. Check
with MONUSCO."
Inner
City Press:
Billion dollar
peacekeeping
mission, and
UN Headquarters
has nothing
when it fails?
Aug 30
- 3: Related
to the South
Sudan question
not responded
to yesterday,
please confirm
the UN /
UNMISS
spokesperson
Elizabeth
Chester said
“'an
accidental
tear-gas
explosion' was
reported in
the U.N.
compound at
9:11 a.m. July
12 — exactly
the moment
that the
camp’s
inhabitants
claim they
were being
forced back
into the PoC”
-- and again,
please explain
what is meant
by an
accidental
tear gas
explosion, in
what
circumstances
Peacekeepers
are to use
tear gas and
how often they
have used it,
and in what
circumstances,
in 2016.
Ban
Ki-moon's Spox
Dujarric: "I
have no
reports on
UNMISS today.
Please check
with the
Mission.”
Inner
City Press:
The request is
for UN
Peacekeeping-wide
POLICY. The
UNMISS
Mission's
spokesperson
has already
claimed an
“accidental
tear-gas
accident” --
that's what
Inner City
Press is
asking Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
about, as
would be
possible if he
did cancel
noon
briefings.
Aug 30
- 4: Inner
City Press has
twice asked
what the UN
rules are for
“fundraisers”
inside the UN,
using an event
advertised for
October 2 as
the example;
it has been
told the
(online) flier
would be
looked at and
a response
provided.
Hearing none,
I am attaching
the flier to
this email.
Please respond
today: is this
within UN
rules? Why did
UN official
Vijay Nambiar
attended a
fundraiser in
the UN by this
same
organization?
Ban
Ki-moon's Spox
Dujarric: “Now
that I have
the flier. I
will look into
what type of
event category
this falls
into.”
Inner City
Press: The
flier has been
online, by the
sponsor and
Inner City
Press
published it
as well.
Nambiar,
mentioned when
Inner City
Press asked
the question,
was present.
Now he's in
Myanmar - and
seeingly, Sri
Lanka, see
below.
Aug 30
- 5: Speaking
of Mr.
Nambiar, is he
on the
Secretary
General's
current visit
to Myanmar?
During this
visit, any
meeting by SG
with Ms.
Lok-Dessallien,
and please
provide an
update on any
UN inquiry
into the
anti-Rights Up
Front
activities by
Ms
Lok-Dessallien
Inner City
Press asked
about at the
May 23, 2016
noon briefing.
Ban
Ki-moon's Spox
Dujarric: “Mr.
Nambiar is in
the
delegation.
The RC, Ms.
Lok-Dessalien,
is also part
of the
delegation and
participates
in most of the
SG's meetings.
As for details
of the Country
Team's
activities,
please get in
touch directly
with her
office....”
Inner
City Press:
The question
was, what was
done after the
VICE expose on
Lok-Dessalien.
Nothing, it
seems. Will
Nambiar go to
Sri Lanka, as
in 2009?
Aug 30
- 6:
While
reiterating
yesterday's
request for
updated
details of the
Secretary
General's
meetings in
Sri Lanka,
please state
(as the US
has) whether
the Secretary
General is
scheduled to
meet in Laos
with
Philippines
President
Duterte, and
if so, what
the Secretary
General
intends to
raise.
Ban
Ki-moon's Spox
Dujarric:
“Details of
the SG's
activities in
SL were posted
on the
highlights.
Bilaterals in
Laos are still
being worked
out.”
Inner
City Press:
So, no
Northern
Provincial
Council? And
no Duterte?
Aug 30
- 7: This is a
request for
the Secretary
General's
comment, as he
has given on
similar laws
in other
countries, on
the going into
effect in
South Korea on
Sunday of the
“North Korean
Human Rights
Act.”
Ban
Ki-moon's Spox
Dujarric: “I
will look into
it.”
Inner
City Press:
We'll be
waiting.
Aug 30
- 8: Again, on
the simple
question of
who decided to
stop including
in the online
list of Public
Financial
Disclosures
those
officials who
choose to
maintain
confidentiality,
is there
someone in the
Ethics Office
I'm supposed
to put this
question to?
Given what
this Secretary
General said
about public
financial
disclosure,
asking your
Office.
Ban
Ki-moon's Spox
Dujarric:
“Will revert.”
Inner
City Press:
This simple
question,
about
decreasing
transparency
under Ban
Ki-moon, has
been asked
four times
now...
And
now, just as
Ban's son in
law Chatterjee
previously
sought
outright
censorship of
press coverage
of his rise in
the UN, now a
fight-back
starts, under
the headline
"Ban's
Son-in-law
Pledges to
Uphold Human
Dignity in New
Job," with
this: "criticsquestion
the process of
selection and
maintain that
Ban, whose
second term as
UN Chief ends
on December
31, 2016,
should have
reclused
himselffrom
any role in
his
son-in-law's
promotion.For
them the
process smacks
of
'nepotism'."
This
same planted article
says,
"Chatterjee
began his
early career
as an officer
in a Special
Forces unit of
the Indian
Army." That
was in Sri
Lanka, to
which Ban goes
this week -
we'll have
more on this.
How is this
nepotism
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.