John
Ashe Dies at
61 While In UN
Bribery Plea
Discussions,
RIP But
Scandal
Spreads
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, June 22
-- Five
days before
his court
hearing on UN
bribery
charges, today
former UN
President of
the General
Assembly John
Ashe died at
61, reportedly
of a heart
attack.
We'll have
more on this
- the bribery
scandal is not
over, and how
the issue is
addressed in
coming days
makes a
difference.
John Ashe
should not be
another UN
scapegoat like
Babacar Gaye
in Central
African
Republic.
While
many try to
insulate
today's UN
from the open
corruption of
the recent
past of
President of
the General
Assembly John
Ashe, and of
Francis
Lorenzo who
has pleaded
guilty, there
is continuity
to this UN
scandal. This
includes a
revival of the
Ng
Lap Seng's old
"South South
News" team,
with El
Salvador
ex-Ambassador
Carlos Garcia
and others,
even as those
investigating
this UN
corruption are
evicted and
restricted,
and those
covering it up
are rewarded.
On May
18, former
President of
the General
Assembly John
Ashe's new
(May 9) lawyers
informed the Southern
District of NY
of ongoing
plea
negotiations,
letter below.
Inner City
Press asked UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
the letter, on
PACER, and
also about
what the UN is
doing with
regard to
those who
plead guilty
to UN bribery
charges.
Can
they, as has
happened, get
back into the
UN? Apparently
yes, despite
what the OIOS
audit says.
This is UN
decay under
Ban Ki-moon,
related to his
and his
Gallach's
ouster and
eviction of
Inner City
Press which is
covering it.
From the
letter:
"Dear
Judge
Broderick:
On May
9, 2016 your
Honor
appointed me,
pursuant to
the Criminal
Justice Act,
to represent
Mr. Ashe in
the above
referenced
matter. I am
writing to
request that
the status
conference,
previously set
or Friday May
27tth,
2016 at 3:00
p.m. be
postponed...
After
conferring
with prior
counsel,
co-counsel and
the
government, it
is clear that
due to the
nature and
complexity of
the case,
severity of
the charges as
well as the
voluminous
discovery, I
am unable to
adequately
familiarize
myself with
all the
material-
sufficiently
in advance to
the May 27th
conference
date.
Additionally,
the government
ís
contemplating
seeking a
superseding
indictment
against my
client prior
to the next
court
appearance
which could
seriously
hinder the
pre-trial plea
negotiations.
This
additional
time wíll
enable the
parties to
contiinue
and hopefully
conclude, the
on going plea
discussions.
The
government, as
well- as
counsel for
the
co-defendants,
do not object
to this
request, and
all defendants
consent to the
exclusion of
time under the
Speedy Trial
Act.”
Inner
City Press has
repeatedly
asked Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
Ban's
appearance at
an event
sponsored by
the Francis
Lorenzo
registered
group Global
Governance for
the UN
Sustainable
Development
Goals. Q&A
videos
here and
here.
Dujarric
tried to
answer about
another group,
then said
Lorenzo's
connection to
the group
isn't clear. Q&A video here.
Well, now
Inner City
Press can
report that
the "Global
Governance for
the UN
Sustainable
Development
Goals"
event Ban
attended was
with indicted
John Ashe, his
wife Anilla
Cherian's book
launch. Video
here.
It
featured
speeches by
Ban and by
Francis
Lorenzo, who
in his speech
named both
GG-UNSDG and
Global
National
Competitiveness
Cooperation
Organization
for the UN,
which
sponsored the
DPI-NGO
conference
last year at
which Under
Secretary
General
Cristina
Gallach spoke.
Q&A
video here.
How did this
not show up in
the UN's audit
of l'affaire
John Ashe and
Ng Lap Seng?
How did this
book launch
event get
inserted into
UNTV archives,
run by
Gallach's DPI?
On the video,
Ban and then
Mrs. Ban are
thanked by
Ashe and then
Anilla
Cherian. The
indictment
details how
over
$1,000,000 was
withdrawn from
the PGA
Accounts and
transferred to
the personal
accounts of
Ashe and of
Anilla
Cherian;
no-show jobs
are also
described.
Then there is
the speech of
Francis
Lorenzo, how
Anilla Cherian
showed Ban the
book even
before Ashe.
The UN has
been trying to
downplay or
conceal Ban
Ki-moon's
contacts with
Lorenzo, most
recently
saying it's
unclear how
Lorenzo is
connected to a
group that he,
Lorenzo,
register, and
another one he
founded. Those
obfuscations
cannot stand;
separately,
the
retaliation is
more and more
clear. We'll
have more on
this.
And Gallach's
Department of
Public
Information
continues
partnering
with these
organizations,
even as DPI
falls apart on
Gallach's
watch. The
last NGO
Conference at
the UN,
sponsored by
South Korea
among others,
had as a
sponsor and
speaker the
"Global
National
Competitiveness
Cooperation
Organization
for the UN,"
one of four
Sponsors of
indicted
Francis
Lorenzo's
Global
Governance for
the UN
SDGs.
Gallach even
spoke at the
event.
Inner
City Press
asked Ban
Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
the "Global
Governance for
the United
Nations
Sustainable
Development
Goals"
(GG-UNSDG) on
May 9 and
again on May
10. Vine
here.
Dujarric
refused to
answer on this
group,
focusing
instead on one
of its
strategic
partners -
which was
founded by
Francis
Lorenzo, who
has pleaded
guilty to UN
bribery
charges. Asked
by Inner City
Press who is
doing (or not
doing) Ban's
vetting,
Dujarric again
refused to
answer. Vine
here. What
has changed?
Are things
getting
worse?
Ban's
UN will have
to answer this
- for example,
in March 2016
long after the
indictments
UNFPA's
Marcela Suazo
attended the
GG-UNSDG event
on the media.
Tellingly,
instances of
her previous
direct
engagement
with South
South News now
lead either to
a removed
video, or
to a password
firewall.
Six months
after the
indictments,
there was no
screening
within Ban's
UN.
On May
11, Inner City
Press asked
Dujarric about
this. His
response,
beyond "ask
UNFPA," was
"not sure if
Mr Lorenzo's
role in that
organization
is clear to
see." Video here.UN
transcript:
Inner
City
Press: I
will do as
gently as I
can.
Again, I
wanted… and
I’ll explain
why. I
wanted to ask
you again
about this
Global
Governance for
UN SDGs
(Sustainable
Development
Goals).
And the reason
I am and I’ve
asked about
this group and
not the one
that you
answered on
yesterday is
that in March
2016, a UNFPA
(United
Nations
Population
Fund),
South-South
office
attended their
event here in
New
York.
And I know
that you’d
said on, I
guess it was,
Monday that…
that “we would
encourage all
parts of the
UN to do as
deep a due
diligence as
possible when
partnering.”
So I wanted to
know what is
the… what is
the current…
given the
audit, what is
the current
state of play
in things like
UNFPA and
various
far-flung
agencies…
What kind of…
[inaudible]
Spokesman:
I’m not aware
of… that’s a
question you
have to ask
UNFPA to
confirm
whether or not
they actually
attended this
event.
Again, I think
there is a
very important
role in the
UN’s work for
partnership
with civil
society and
NGOs.
However, there
is also a
responsibility
on every part
of the UN
system to do
due diligence
and to ensure
that its
partners are
stand-up, to
use a
colloquial
term.
And we would
hope that due
diligence is
done, by all
funds and
programmes and
other UN
agencies.
Inner City
Press:
Thanks for
that.
And this may
be to benefit
these funds
and
programmes.
If an
individual who
has recently
pleaded guilty
to bribery
charges
involving the
UN, is the
registrant and
centrally
involved in an
organization,
should funds
and programmes
continue to be
engaging with
them?
Spokesman:
That would… I
think…
The short
answer would
be no.
Also, I’m not
sure Mr.
[Francis]
Lorenzo’s role
in that
organization
is clear to
see. But
it would…
obviously, you
would need…
everyone needs
to do due
diligence.
Well,
as Inner City
Press has
shown, Francis
Lorenzo who
has pleaded
guilty to
bribery at the
UN is the
REGISTRANT of
the group,
here; he
founded at
least one of
the group's
listed
"Strategic
Partners."
GG-UNSDG's
website lists
as registrant
Francis
Lorenzo and as
administrator
CBatres. This
same CBatres
was
administrator
for Ng Lap
Seng's Sun
Kian Ip
Foundation,
subject to the
UN
audit.
Would Dujarric
say, "Ask Sun
Kian Ip"? On
May 12, Inner
City Press
asked Dujarric
more, Video
Here, UN Transcript
here:
Inner
City Press:
yesterday
you'd said
that the
connection to
this Global
Governance for
UN SDGs
(Sustainable
Development
Goals) wasn't
clear. I
urge you, just
look who
registered the
group.
But now that
you mentioned
the NGO
meeting in
South Korea,
there was a
DPI-NGO
meeting held
here in August
of 2015.
And there's a
sponsor with a
very long name
that is one of
the four
founding
principal
partners of
this
Lorenzo-linked
group that was
a sponsor of
that
meeting.
Ms. [Cristina]
Gallach spoke
at it,
etc.
What do you
say about
that? It
seems that the
connections
between these
groups and DPI
are more
extensive than
were in the
audit.
And what's
being done of
this upcoming
NGO-DPI
conference to
ensure that
the same
groups that…
that
infiltrated
are not there?
Spokesman:
All our
colleagues… we
would expect
all our
colleagues to
be vigilant
and do proper
vetting, and
the
participants
in the DPI-NGO
are all… NGOs
have
registered
with
DPI.
I
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon has
attended
events of the
GG-UNSDG and
in March 2016
of one of its
four
"partners,"
the one
founded by
Francis
Lorenzo who
has pleaded
guilty to UN
bribery
charges.
The
OIOS audit,
then, was not
an attempt to
ensure that
the sell-outs
to corruption
shown for
example in
Paragraphs
37-40 and
20(b) don't
happen again -
because they
are continuing
to happen.
Inner
City
Press:
in the wake of
the
indictments of
John Ashe and
Ng Lap Seng,
there was the
audit
created.
It seemed to
be an attempt
by the UN to
find out
interactions
with entities
related to Ng
Lap Seng...
since then,
I’ve found
that the
Secretary-General
has engaged
with a new
group called
Global
Governance for
United Nations
Sustainable
Development
Goals, which
is very much
connected with
the same
individuals
that were
involved in
South-South
News, in Ng
Lap Seng’s
foundations.
These
involvements
are as recent
as March
2016. So
I’m wondering,
what is the
screening
process that’s
taking
place?
Is the audit…
are you simply
looking at the
names that
were mentioned
in the
indictment?
Or is there
some attempt…
it seems to
some that
there’s
basically a
continuation
of the same
process under
other names?
Spokesman:
I’m not… the
audit looked
at the names,
obviously,
that were
mentioned in
the indictment
that were
mentioned in
the
press.
I’m not aware
of the group
that you
mentioned.
Inner City
Press:
There’s a
picture of the
Secretary-General…
[inaudible]
Spokesman:
I’m just
saying I’m not
aware… there
are a lot of
the things I’m
not aware
of. And
I’m not aware
of this
particular
group that you
raise.
I’m happy to
look into it.
Inner City
Press:
But I guess my
question would
be, given…
obviously,
there’s due
process.
So the two
individuals
who have not
yet… who have
nod pled
guilty, John
Ashe and Ng
Lap Seng, are
one thing, but
four people
have pleaded
guilty.
[inaudible]
Spokesman:
There is…
Inner City
Press:
And you’d
think that the
UN would
search its
database…
[inaudible]
Spokesman:
Again, I’m not
going to
comment on
this
particular
case.
I’m not aware
of it.
But obviously,
we would
encourage all
parts of the
United Nations
to do as deep
a due
diligence as
possible when
partnering.
I’ll come back
to you.
[inaudible]
Inner City
Press:
One question…
Spokesman:
No, I’ll come
back to
you.
Dujarric
said he was
happy to check
but nothing
came back by
the next day
May 10 at
noon. So Inner
City Press
asked again.
Dujarric has
an answer
ready about
another group,
one of
GG-UNSDG's
strategic
partners which
was founded by
Francis
Lorenzo.
Dujarric
refused to
answer about
GG-UNSDG, nor
on who is
doing or not
doing Ban's
vetting.
UNreal. As
noted, Inner
City Press
found that
Dujarric had
blocked it on
Twitter.
The
website, with
photos of Ban
Ki-moon and
Garcia and a
UN
Correspondents
Association
member who
while an UNCA
Executive
Committee
member
attended
indicted Ng
Lap Seng's
August 2015
Macau event, saying
on its website
as of May 6,
2016 that
it
"in
collaboration
with the
Permanent
Mission of
Grenada to the
United Nations
and the
Montessori
Model United
Nations
organized a
High-level
Meeting on
Media,
Education and
Global
Governance for
the UNSDG at
the New York
Hilton Hotel.
The key note
speakers
included H.E.
Mr. Carlos
Alberto Rojas
Santos, Deputy
Permanent
Representative
of Honduras to
the United
Nations; Mrs.
Marcela Suazo,
Director of
South-South
Unit, UNFPA;
Mr. Diego
Diaz, Trade
Commissioner
of Guatemala,
Trade Office
in New
York;
Mr. Julio
Pujols,
Counsellor of
the Dominican
Republic to
the United
Nations; Mr.
Haliscelik
Kahraman, New
York & UN
Bureau Chief-
Turkish Radio
and
Television-
TRTWorld; and
Mr. Yuntao
Guo, Secretary
General of the
Global
Governance for
the United
Nations
Sustainable
Development
Goals."''"
But
GG-UNSDG's
website's
administrator
is Francis
Lorenzo, who
had
pleaded guilty
to UN bribery
charges.
Another
connection to
Ng Lap Seng is
Christian
Batres,
involved in
the website
and in Sun
Kian Ip
Foundation
before it. As
Inner City
Press
reported,
before and
after its
eviction by
Ban Ki-moon,
everything is
for sale in
Ban's UN.
We'll have
more on this.
Ban's
Gallach and
Dujarric have
defended the
continuation
of South South
News with a UN
office while
Inner City
Press is
evicted and
restricted,
now wil play
dumb on this
new corruption
as moneyed
South South
News issued a
statement
attach unnamed
independent
journalists -
Ban's UN has
come to this,
with big Gulf
and western
media
conflicted out
since South
South News
funded the UN
Correspondents
Association
they use to
attach their
independent
competitors -
to this has
the UN sunk.
On
May 4 Inner
City Press
asked UN Under
Secretary-General
for Management
Yukio Takasu
about two
portions of
the OIOS
audit. Video
here.
How
was indicted
Ng Lap Seng's
Global
Sustainability
Foundation's
“sponsorship”
of the UN
slavery
memorial
opening event,
featuring Ban
Ki-moon,
accounted for
in the UN
budget?
Takasu gamely
said that
“in-kind”
contributions
are not
quantified or
listed. If so,
how many other
events did Ng
Lap Seng
entities
sponsor? Inner
City Press
asked how
Takasu's
Assistant
Secretary
General of the
Office of
Central
Support
Services
allowed Ng Lap
Seng's June
30, 2015 event
in the UN
Vistitors
Lobby, also
with no due
diligence by
Gallach's DPI,
to go forward.
Things slip
between the
cracks, Takasu
said,
indicating
that he would
like to
tighten things
up.
So
how much more
slipped
through the
cracks? And
how was
Gallach
allowed -- or
encouraged --
to retaliate
against the
Press which is
pursuing and
asking about
this story?
Given that
Gallach
clearly should
have recused
itself, when
will Inner
City Press be
restored to
its shared
office and
Resident
Correspondent
accreditation
status?
Inner
City Press On
May 2
asked Ban Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric if
any of the
OIOS
recommendations
due April 30
had been
implemented. No
information
has been
provided. From
the
UN transcript:
Inner
City Press: on
the audit, not
the UNDP one
that has not
been released
but on the
OIOS UN audit
— of the seven
recommendations,
four of them
were to have
been
implemented
with
documentation
by 30 April
including the
assignment of
responsibility
for the
changing of
the document
by the
Secretariat’s
DGACM
(Department of
General
Assembly and
Conference
Management),
the acceptance
of gifts by
Secretariat
staff, I could
go through the
other two… So
I'm asking
you, have
these been
implemented
and, if so,
will the
documentation
be made public
in the spirit
of
transparency?
Spokesman:
I have no
doubt the
concerned
departments
have been
following up
with
OIOS. If
I have
something to
share, I will.
Inner
City Press:
just for a
simple
statement… if
the UN finds
that a UN-paid
staff member
in the office
of the PGA
(President of
the General
Assembly) in
fact
erroneously or
fraudulently
had an A visa,
a diplomat's
visa for
purposes of
immunity, what
does the UN
do?
Spokesman
Dujarric:
Matthew, I'm
not going to
go into
hypotheticals.
We expect all
UN staff
members to
abide by the
rules, and if
they don't,
there are
sanctions
according to
policy...
What the UN
did not
transcribe, and
in fact cut
from its
audio, was
Dujarric
saying,
"Matthew,
that's a
f*cking stupid
question." But
Vine
here.
We'll have
more on this.
Dujarric did
not come back
with an
answer, but
should have.
Inner City
Press is
exclusively
informed that
the UN allowed
“visa games”
in the case of
John Ashe's
chief of staff
Paulette
Bethel, who is
now in the
Cabinet of
current PGA
Mogens
Lykketoft and
is being
lobbied to
continue, with
immunity, with
the *next* PGA
(more on that
in a separate
forthcoming
exclusive
story).
Bethel had
been an
Ambassador
with an “A”
diplomatic
visa, full
diplomatic
immunity. But
while working
for Ashe,
Ban's UN paid
her. Still she
arranged to
have an “A”
visa --
significant
given the
corruption in
which her
Office was
allegedly
involved in.
Now, the
sources tell
Inner City
Press, there
is a review of
how Ban
Ki-moon's UN
has allowed
for abuse of
the visa (and
immunity)
system. On
this, too, we
will have
more.
Back on
March 11, Inner
City Press reported
and asked
this:
By having her
position with
Lykketoft,
Paulette
Bethel
continues to
have immunity.
Ban Ki-moon
has not waived
it, despite
the portrait
painted of her
the John Ashe
indictment.
She “knows
where the
bodies are
buried,” as
the phrase has
it.
And perhaps
for that
reason, Inner
City Press is
multiply
informed that
Bethel is
lobbying for a
continued
immunity job
with the NEXT
President of
the General
Assembly,
whether from
Cyprus or
Fiji.
In fact, Inner
City Press is
informed, both
candidates to
succeed
Lykketoft as
PGA, Cyprus
and Fiji, was
lobbied to
keep Bethel on
-- as a D2,
with full
immunity -- if
they win the
job, and were
promised (the
same) votes if
they do.
Now,
Inner City Press is
informed
of new (March
11)
developments
regarding
Paulette
Bethel's
immunity
status.
For now, what
does this
mean? Well --
did Lykketoft
make the same
corrupt deal?
Why WOULD
Lykketoft,
claiming to be
so different
from John
Ashe, keep
Ashe's chief
of staff on
his team? Even
Banned from
the UN second
floor where
Lykketoft's
office -- used
to campaign
for Helle
Thorning-Schmidt,
as Inner City
Press
exclusively
covered --
we'll have
more on this.
Here.
On
March 11,
Inner City Press
asked UN
Spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric --
who among
other things has
refused to
answer on
lending UN
Press Briefing
Room, in which
indictee Frank
Lorenzo
appeared
without being
listed in the
Media Alert --
about this.
After
being thrown
out of the UN
on two hours
notice by
Under
Secretary
General for DPI
Cristina
Gallach on
February 19,
on March 10 back in
on a "non
resident
correspondent"
"Green P"
pass, Inner
City Press was
ordered out of
the UN at 8
pm, here,
as it worked
on this story
-- here's
an Inner City
Press story on
Bethel and Ban
Ki-moon's
connection to
the scandal --
in the UN
Lobby.
UNder
this kind of
harassment,
intimidation
and attempted
censorship,
there is only
one approach:
publish,
publish,
publish. If
Bethel didn't
have the
immunity that
comes with a
UN D-2 post,
what might she
testify to?
Who could
waive her
immunity?
The new Free
UN Coalition
for Access
-- whose sign
USG Cristina "The
Censor"
Gallach
directed to be
torn down
after she
evicted Inner
City Press
from its
long-time
office --
seeks to open
the UN and
these
processes -
watch this
site.