John
Ashe Died
at 61 While In
UN Plea Talks,
ICP
Asks For Ban
Reaction
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS, June 23
-- 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.
On June
23, Inner City
Press asked
Ban Ki-moon's
spokesman why
Ban had issued
no comment on
the death. The
spokesman
Farhan Haq
said that Ban
will be
writing a
letter to
Ashe's widow
-- whose book
launch Ban
attended and
the DPI of
Cristina
Gallach put on
UNTV -- but
unlike PGA
Lykketoft, Haq
did not
mention the
corruption
case. So Inner
City Press
asked and will
ask more.
Late on June
22, or really
early on June
23, current
PGA Lykketoft
issued this:
"the
President of
the 70th
session of the
United Nations
General
Assembly
Mogens
Lykketoft
expressed his
sincere
condolences to
the widow,
friends and
colleagues of
the former
Antigua and
Barbudan
diplomat John
Ashe, who died
of a heart
attack on
Wednesday.
Mr Ashe
was the
President of
the General
Assembly for
its 68th
session and
had since
October 2015
been facing
criminal
charges in the
United States
courts related
to his term as
President.
"Despite
the many as
yet unproven
accusations
made against
him, Mr Ashe
was for many
years a
hard-working
and popular
member of the
diplomatic
corps in New
York and at
the United
Nations," said
Mr Lykketoft.
"I know that
his death will
come as sad
news to the
many
professional
friends and
colleagues he
made during
his time here.
"We
wish his wife,
family and
friends well
as they come
to terms with
his sudden
death."
"
Classy, but..
we'll have
more on this.
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.
, 
