Inner City Press: Investigative Reporting from the United Nations

IMF Claims Didn't “Find Bad Stuff” on Ethics, No Answers on LP, Severance

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 26 -- With Dominique Strauss Kahn now under townhouse arrest in Tribeca in New York, the International Monetary Fund on Thursday held its first open and online press briefing since DSK's arrest for sexual assault.

IMF spokesperson Caroline Atkinson began blithely about DSK's interim replacement John Lipsky's travel.

When she opened up for questions -- with only three exceptions on Greece and Portugal, only from those in the briefing room in Washington -- she was asked directly, did you check the IMF's files before saying you were “not aware” of other complaints against DSK?

“I am not a lawyer,” Ms. Atkinson said, adding that it would somehow be inappropriate for the IMF to make disclosure of previous formal complaints against Strauss Kahn, since he is now on trial.

Likewise, she declined to answer a question about the ability to withhold the reported $250,000 severance payment to Strauss Kahn.

The IMF spokesperson was reduced to saying that the (American) ethics adviser at the Fund hadn't “found any bad stuff.”

In the past week, Inner City Press has submitted factual questions to the IMF that the IMF has not answered, such as on May 20:

--In today's UN noon press briefing I was told to “ask the IMF” about Dominique Strauss Kahn's UN Laissez Passer. If holding the LP is based on being an IMF official or staffer, given Mr. Strauss Kahn's resignation, why hasn't the LP been retrieved? What policies does the IMF have for the LPs of persons who resign or are terminated?

--what policies does the IMF have regarding the pensions and end-of-service payments to individuals charged with, or convicted of, felonies including those involving moral turpitude, such as sexual assault? Has Mr. Strauss Kahn receive any payment since his resignation, or does his resignation trigger one?

DSK and Ms. Atkinson: "bad stuff found" not shown

-- on my outstanding question about disclosures to the IMF under the IMF's cited policy on gifts, I have asked about Mr. Strauss Kahn and Mr. Lipksy but am now expanding the request to cover the ten top IMF officials.

Other reporters in the room on Thursday complained about not having their questions answered, and about Executive Board members saying they'd been told to refer all question, regardless of topic, back to the IMF Media Department (which does not answer).

Inner City Press iterated the above questions, and a pressing one on Sudan, during the IMF's briefing on Thursday. But it seems the IMF is trying to hide from straight forward questions.

Update: after publication of the above, an answer was received on Sudan, nothing on the DSK questions:

Matthew: For your question on Sudan, you can attribute this to an IMF spokesperson. We deplore the violence and hope for a speedy end to the fighting. As you know, South Sudan has applied for membership, and that process is ongoing. A mission is on the ground now in Juba to discuss the membership process with the authorities.

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After DSK Resignation, Questions of Laissez Passer, Pay & Gift Disclosures Dodged

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, May 20 -- With Dominique Strauss-Kahn out on bail and the International Monetary Fund yet to answer Press questions about Strauss-Kahn's and his interim replacement John Lipsky's required disclosures of gifts, Inner City Press on Friday asked the UN about Strauss-Kahn's UN travel document.

The document was repeatedly referred to due Strauss-Kahn's bail hearing. It's called a laissez passer, and as UN spokesman Martin Nesirky confirmed to Inner City Press on Friday “it is a travel document that’s issued, indeed, by the United Nations. The UN also issues laissez-passer to officials of the specialized agencies, including the IMF.”

But doesn't the UN have a duty to retrieve this travel document when its bearer resigns from the UN system?

Spokesman Nesirky repeatedly declined to answer, telling Inner City Press to “ask the IMF.” So Inner City Press did, along with questions about the gift disclosures of the IMF's top ten officials.

With Chinese state media now saying that the top spot at the IMF should go to China, Inner City Press' exclusive stories about how this may impact Ban Ki-moon's drive for a second term as UN Secretary General have generated even more interest inside the UN.

“They really scared,” a well placed UN source told Inner City Press on Friday afternoon, at a concert by Chinese and US military bands in the UN General Assembly, whose votes Ban would need for a second term.

Ban, DSK (and World Bank chief), China's play not shown

From the UN's May 20 transcript:

Inner City Press: at the bail hearing that was held yesterday here in New York, there was a lot of discussion of his laissez-passer passport. And that it was in Washington. What happens when somebody in a specialized agency resigns? Do they return the Laissez-Passer to the UN? The court is somehow asking for it, but it is not clear to me if it is still, if his UN powers are, remain in effect.

Spokesperson Martin Nesirky: What UN powers are you referring to, Matthew?

Inner City Press: The ability to go through airports with a Laissez-Passer, to use it as a travel document. Is this now canceled, and is the UN going to retrieve the document?

Spokesperson Nesirky: Well, I think you’d have to ask the IMF what will happen to the document, which is, as I understand it, at the IMF. I think you know what the score is with a laissez-passer. It is a travel document that’s issued, indeed, by the United Nations. The UN also issues laissez-passer to officials of the specialized agencies, including the IMF, and also to some other agencies under agreements concluded with those organizations. And these laissez-passer are modified to refer to the appropriate agreements relating to the status of the relevant organization and its officials. I am talking in general about the nature of laissez-passer. Anything to do with the case you have mentioned, you need to speak to the IMF.

Inner City Press: if somebody ends their tenure before, because I am assuming these documents have a date on it, so they would just expire and couldn’t use them any more, but this one would still, it would appear to be active, not…

Spokesperson Inner City Press: Well, as I said, I think I answered that already, Matthew. As I said, Matthew, ask the IMF.

Inner City Press: Okay, I will.

Even though the IMF, while providing a partial response about Strauss Kahn's plane ticket did not answer about the IMF gift policy and disclosures, Inner City Press submitted this question, so far without response:

In today's UN noon press briefing I was told to “ask the IMF” about Dominique Strauss Kahn's UN Laissez Passer.

If holding the LP is based on being an IMF official or staffer, given Mr. Strauss Kahn's resignation, why hasn't the LP been retrieved?

What policies does the IMF have for the LPs of persons who resign or are terminated?

Separately, what policies does the IMF have regarding the pensions and end-of-service payments to individuals charged with, or convicted of, felonies including those involving moral turpitude, such as sexual assault?

Has Mr. Strauss Kahn receive any payment since his resignation, or does his resignation trigger one?

Other questions:

On both Air France upgrade and Sofitel discount, please explain how these related to the IMF's online policy on gifts http://www.imf.org/external/hrd/code.htm#VI

Acceptance of gifts, decorations and honors

32. You should never solicit gifts or favors in connection with your IMF duties. Gifts that are offered should normally be declined. However, you may accept a small gift when it would create an embarrassment to refuse it. Under current rules, if its value is clearly less than $100, you may keep it and need not report it. If the value of the gift could exceed $100, you should report it, along with your estimate of its value.

An upgrade from business class to first class on a flight from New York to Paris is presumptively worth more than $100. So too the Sofitel discount.

1) did the Managing Director disclose these gifts?

2) if the IMF does not consider them gifts under the above, why not? On what authority?

3) please list all disclosures under the policy quoted above that the Managing Director, and Deputy Lipsky, have provided in the past 12 months.

This last has been expanded to the IMF's top ten officials, but has still not been responded to. Watch this site.

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Strauss-Kahn Air France Upgrades & Sofitel Discounts Afoul of IMF Policy

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive

UNITED NATIONS, May 18 -- With International Monetary Fund managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn again requesting release on bail from sex crimes charges, the IMF on Wednesday told Inner City Press that

“Mr. Strauss-Kahn's flight, which was booked before he left Washington, was a business class seat. He was apparently upgraded by the airline. This is not unusual given he is the head of the International Monetary Fund.”

But when Inner City Press asked IMF spokesman William Murray if the Fund's policy against its officials receiving such gifts applied in this case, he did not answer the question. Rather, he again told Inner City Press to “ask Air France” -- while how they are in charge of enforcing the IMF's policy on gifts is not clear.

Murray also stated that “Sofitel is not a hotel on the official IMF staff list. As noted by us previously, this was a private visit to NY, and a personal expense.”

Still, if Sofitel lowered the rate on Strauss Kahn's room it was a gift, generally to be rejected but certainly to be disclosed if the discount was -- as reported -- more than $100.

Strauss-Kahn with Ben Ali of Tunisia: one fell, now will the other?

The IMF's policy, not provided by Mr. Murray but found online, is that

Acceptance of gifts, decorations and honors

An upgrade from business class to first class on a flight from New York to Paris is presumptively worth more than $100. And the IMF spokesman tells the Press that such upgrades to Strauss Kahn are “not unusual given he is the head of the International Monetary Fund.” So where are the answers, and disclosures?

One of two IMF belated responses to Inner City Press on May 18:

From: Murray, William [at] imf.org
Date: Wed, May 18, 2011 at 5:59 AM
Subject: Air France
To: Matthew Russell Lee [at] InnerCityPress.com

The IMF has contracts with various intercontinental air carriers due to heavy travel requirements from Washington. Air France is among the carriers.

Mr. Strauss-Kahn's flight, which was booked before he left Washington, was a business class seat. He was apparently upgraded by the airline. This is not unusual given he is the head of the International Monetary Fund.

Watch this site.

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IMF Promotes Bank Mergers, Says Bigger is Better, Politics & Portugal Dodged

By Matthew Russell Lee

WASHINGTON DC, April 15 -- The International Monetary Fund is unabashedly promoting the takeover of small banks by large ones, claiming that its own work in “Emerging Europe” since the financial meltdown shows that communities are better served by large banks, even if based far away or in other countries.

IMF European Department Director Antonio Borges told reporters on Friday that Belgium was smart to have pushed Fortis to being acquired by BNP Paribas. He urged more such mergers.

Inner City Press asked Borges if the IMF proposed any safeguards at all, given that concerns exist that when a local bank is acquired by one based far away, there will be less reinvestment and accountability.

Borges, while calling this an “interesting question,” bragged that the IMF organized a coordinated effort to get large banks to treat communities, particularly in Emerging Europe, fairly, and that this had worked. See IMF transcript, below.

Borges, invisible hand and safeguards on mergers not shown

Inner City Press began to ask about attempts to encourage or require reinvestment, for example in the UK -- but moderator Simonetta Nardin said there was no time for follow up questions.

Meanwhile, Borges took but refused to answer two questions about Portugal, citing an IMF policy against officials working on their own countries, and also claiming that the IMF does not get involved in politics. What -- encouraging bank mergers is not political? Watch this site.

From the IMF's transcript:

Inner City Press: you seem to be saying that bank mergers—small banks being bought by big ones sort of unqualifiedly may be a good thing. In some countries people think that local banks are more accountable, that if you move the assets to a faraway headquarters that there's less responsive. What do you say to that critique and is that something that the IMF takes any account of?

MR. BORGES: you ask a very interesting question, because this is a problem we were faced with over the last few years. In many of the countries of emerging Europe, you find banks that actually are owned by other banks elsewhere and there were concerns that, as there might be problems in the domestic countries of those banks that assets would be pulled out from emerging Europe and they might suffer. And the Fund, the IMF, invested quite a bit of effort to organize a coordinated effort on the part of all these banks to behave in the best possible interests of those economies, and I must say this was quite successful, because as a result, these countries are now recovering very well and their banks are operating well. So, if anything, the experience of emerging Europe demonstrates that having large, solid banks operate in your country may be an important source of stability if things are properly managed.

Click for Mar 1, '11 BloggingHeads.tv re Libya, Sri Lanka, UN Corruption

These reports are usually also available through Google News and on Lexis-Nexis.

Click here for a Reuters AlertNet piece by this correspondent about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click here for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali National Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an undefined trust fund. Video Analysis here

Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.

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