John
Ashe Died
at 61 in Freak
Accident, ICP
Asked 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 --
from a freak
weight lifting
accident.
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. UN
transcript
here:
Inner
City Press:r
Does the
Secretary-General
have any
statement on
the… on the
death of
former
President of
the General
Assembly John
Ashe
yesterday?
Deputy
Spokesman:
Oh, well,
certainly, he
was saddened
by the passing
of John
Ashe. He
is writing a
letter of
condolence to
Ambassador
Ashe's wife,
and so that
will express
his sorrow at
his passing
and his
condolences.
Question:
Sure.
President…
current PGA
[President of
the General
Assembly]
[Mogens]
Lykketoft in
the statement
that he put
out said these
charges hadn't
been proven
but that
he'd done some
previous
service.
And I know the
incoming PGA
had said that
the John Ashe
case is a
serious blow
to the
UN. So,
I'm wondering,
is there any
nexus… either
in his letter
or here from
this podium
what's… what's
your
reflection on
the way that
this leaves
the case still
pending in the
Southern
District
involving UN
bribery?
Deputy
Spokesman:
Well,
obviously, the
case is a
separate
matter and I
believe that
that would
still go
on. We
will continue
to cooperate
as best we can
with the
relevant
authorities as
they go about
their
investigation
into
this.
And we
certainly hope
that they get
to the bottom
of this
particular
issue.
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.
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."
"
At 6 pm on
June 23
Lykketoft's
spokesperson
issued a new
release:
"Last
night we
issued a
statement
which
attributed the
cause of
Mr Ashe's
death to a
heart attack.
That was based
on an Antiguan
media
report
already online
and one other
source. It
appears from
subsequent
media reports
that the cause
of death may
have been
different.
Please find a
corrected
statement
below and
online:
STATEMENT CAN
BE FOUND
ONLINE:
http://wp.me/p6GT4S-fE7
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.
, 
