Inner City Press -- Investigative Reporting From the Inner City to Wall Street to the United Nations

Alan Doss Continues As King of Congo, Abuse of Power and Funds Unanswered, Ban Sits on OIOS Report

UNITED NATIONS, June 2 -- The lack of accountability of and in the UN is exemplified by Alan Doss. Exposed for nepotism ten months ago, after a career of such acts, Doss said he would leave the UN payroll on May 31.

  Inner City Press, which first exposed Doss' nepotism, asked if the Office of Internal Oversight Services report condemning him would be ruled on by Secretary General Ban Ki-moon before May 31, or after. "No comment," Ban's spokesman twice said.

   The head of the Department of Peacekeeping Operations Alain Le Roy told the Press that Doss was being given a second opportunity to comment on OIOS' findings.

Now, after Inner City Press asked last week and this who was in charge of the renamed UN Mission in the Congo, MONUSCO, the UN after business hours on June 1 said that Doss remains in charge. What happened to his statement that he would leave May 31?

The nepotism as issue, still unaddressed by the UN, had Doss asking the UN Development Program in writing to show him "leeway" and give a job to his daughter in contravention of UN rules. Doss, before simply refusing to answer questions from the Press, said that his e-mail was taken out of context, despite Inner City Press' publication of the entire e-mail.

Since then, whistleblowers from each of Doss' stops in Africa have come forward saying that Doss was always a rule breaker, a "King of the Congo" as he has been dubbed, even in Cote d'Ivoire and Liberia. Some Inner City Press has already published -- Doss dubbing his Liberian cook an "engineer" to bring him to the Congo at a higher UN pay rate, Doss' guard shooting his gun inside a MONUC plane filled with Security Council members and getting further promoted by Doss.

But from Kinshasa comes news of Doss' use of UN money to repair his housing, in addition to space in the Grand Hotel Kinshasa. Well informed Kinshasa sources say Doss commandeered UN air assets to fly his wife around, including out of the DR Congo and otherwise abused his DSA travel allowance from the UN.

In a telling example of substantive contempt for the rule of law and truth, reporters tell of approaching Doss with documentary proof that indicted war criminal Bosco Ntaganda was involved in the leadership structure of FARDC army units Doss' MONUC was working with. I don't want to see it, Doss told the reporters, as they tell Inner City Press.

When Inner City Press put these factual questions, in writing, to the Department of Peacekeeping Operation, the response was that there was resistance to answering any of them.

Alan Doss, center, accountability not shown

  Inner City Press was told that the only way to try to get wheels in motion for answers was to ask the questions publicly at the UN's noon briefing. And so, at the May 27 UN noon briefing:

Inner City Press: I have asked DPKO [Department of Peacekeeping Operations] in writing a series of questions about Alan Doss, who I understand is leaving at the end of this month, therefore in a few days. He may be in New York actually right now. So, maybe you can get these answers. They have asked to say unless I ask you, I can’t get an answer from them to these questions…

Spokesperson Martin Nesirky: Say again that last bit.

Inner City Press: Unless, if I want an answer to these questions about Alan Doss I should ask in the noon briefing. This is what I was told today, this morning. So, I am asking you here, and I will just do it very quickly, maybe. It has to do with who paid to repair Alan Doss’s apartment in Kinshasa? And what’s going to happen with that apartment now that he is leaving UN service? Were air assets of MONUC or other UN Missions used to transport family members of Mr. Doss? Did he in fact, bring a staff member from UNMIL, a local staff to MONUC as a cook but characterized him as an engineer in order to do so? And there, and his DSA. There are some questions about DSA itemized over three years. Issues have been raised, raised by journalists based in Kinshasa. And for some reason I was told to ask it here. I mean, it seemed very detailed and I don’t expect you to have answers, you know, but I would like to get the answers before he leaves UN service.

Spokesperson Nesirky: Well, by asking it here certainly plenty of people will be able to hear the questions and find the answers. And I am sure they will help to provide those answers.

Inner City Press: And the OIOS [Office of Internal Oversight Services] report on Alan Doss that’s now with the Secretary-General, does he expect to rule before 31 May when Mr. Doss leaves UN service?

Spokesperson Nesirky: I don’t have any comment on that at the moment.

Five days later, having received not a single response, Inner City Press asked again, this time to Nesirky's Deputy Marie Okabe:

Inner City Press: Who has taken over for Alan Doss in MONUC, one of the UN’s largest peacekeeping missions? Who is in charge as of today of that Mission?

Deputy Spokesperson Okabe: I’ll have to look. Usually, there is an Acting Representative whenever the Representative is on leave or out of the country or for whatever reason. So, obviously one of the deputies must be the Acting Representative. I don’t have the name.

[The reporter was later informed that Alan Doss is in charge. Otherwise, Leila Zerrougui, the Deputy Special Representative, would be officer-in-charge.]

Inner City Press: Last week, I asked a number of questions about Alan Doss. It seems four or five days have gone by. Are there going to be answers to those questions?

Deputy Spokesperson Okabe: If there are, I would give them to you. I don’t have any.

Why, despite saying he would relinquish control of MONUSCO on May 31, is Alan Doss still in charge? What is Ban Ki-moon doing with the OIOS report condemning Mr. Doss? Watch this site.