In
Kenya, Ban
Ki-moon Signed
Letter Giving
Son-In-Law Top
UN Job,
Exposed, Skips
TICADIV
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Follow Up on
Exclusives
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 27 --
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.
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.