By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive series

UNITED NATIONS, October 5 -- The UN Office of Internal Oversight Services, used under previous chief Carman Lapointe to go after the whistleblower on peacekeepers' Central African Republic rapes Anders Kompass, whom UN Peacekeeping boss Herve Ladsous tried to fire, stands to receive new leadership.

 On October 5 the UN announced that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon “following consultations with Chairs of Regional Groups, informed the General Assembly of his intention to appoint Heidi Mendoza of the Philippines as the new Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services for a five-year non-renewable term. Ms. Mendoza is currently Commissioner of the Commission of Audit of the Philippines (since 2011).”

  What the UN announcement did NOT say is that Heidi Mendoza already has experience with corruption involving Ladsous' UN Peacekeeping. As reported by the Philippine Star on February 23, 2011

“During the hearing, DFA Assistant Secretary confirmed a report in The STAR on Tuesday that the UN has denied making a $5-million reimbursement to the Armed Forces of the Philippines in January 2001 as alleged by former government auditor Heidi Mendoza.”

The Star also reported that “In a House justice committee hearing Tuesday also on the plea bargaining agreement, another whistleblower, former state auditor Heidi Mendoza said she had been pressured by her superiors to go slow on her investigation of Garcia. She said even the million dollar reimbursements from the United Nations for Filipino troops in peacekeeping missions didn’t escape the attention of corrupt officials.”

  How Mendoza will deal with the continuing corruption involving Ladsous, and with his and others' cover up of sexual abuse (including Ladsous linking rapes to “R&R") remains to be seen. Watch this site.previous chief Carman Lapointe to go after the whistleblower on peacekeepers' Central African Republic rapes Anders Kompass, whom UN Peacekeeping boss Herve Ladsous tried to fire, stands to receive new leadership.
 On October 5 the UN announced that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon “following consultations with Chairs of Regional Groups, informed the General Assembly of his intention to appoint Heidi Mendoza of the Philippines as the new Under-Secretary-General for Internal Oversight Services for a five-year non-renewable term. Ms. Mendoza is currently Commissioner of the Commission of Audit of the Philippines (since 2011).”
  What the UN announced did NOT say is that Heidi Mendoza already has experience with corruption involving Ladsous' UN Peacekeeping. As reported the Philippine Star on February 23, 2011
“During the hearing, DFA Assistant Secretary confirmed a report in The STAR on Tuesday that the UN has denied making a $5-million reimbursement to the Armed Forces of the Philippines in January 2001 as alleged by former government auditor Heidi Mendoza.”
The Star also reported that “In a House justice committee hearing Tuesday also on the plea bargaining agreement, another whistleblower, former state auditor Heidi Mendoza said she had been pressured by her superiors to go slow on her investigation of Garcia. She said even the million dollar reimbursements from the United Nations for Filipino troops in peacekeeping missions didn’t escape the attention of corrupt officials.”
  How Mendoza will deal with the continuing corruption involving Ladsous, and with his and others' cover up of sexual abuse (including Ladsous linking rapes to “R&R,” here) remains to be seen. Watch this site.

French soldiers in the Central African Republic allegedly sexually abused children, as exposed in a UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and UNICEF report given to the French government by longtime OHCHR staffer Anders Kompass.

  Kompass was urged to resign -- according to a first UN Dispute Tribunal ruling reinstating him, by French head of UN Peacekeeping Herve Ladsous, who has since tersely denied it -- and Miranda Brown who worked with him did in fact have her UN service ended, see below.

  In typical UN fashion, subsequent coverage even of Kompass has omitted any reference to Ladsous, who doles out answers only to scribes who don't criticize him. Ignoring Ladsous, focus shifts to the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services, whose Carman Lapointe is to leave on September 13 -- according to sources, after one final junket, to Manila from September 8 to 11.

 On August 27, the UN is throwing a farewell reception for Lapointe:

From: Byung-Kun Min/NY/UNO
Date: 08/25/2015 02:07PM
Subject: Reminder: Invitation to a farewell reception for Ms. Carman Lapointe at 4.00 PM on Thursday 27 August 2015

Dear Colleagues,

For your kind attention, please. 

Best regards,  Min.

.......................................................
Min, Byung-Kun
Chief of OUSG, OIOS

David Kanja---14/08/2015 06:21:39 PM---Dear Colleagues,

From: David Kanja/NY/UNO
Date: 14/08/2015 06:21 PM
Subject: Invitation to a farewell reception for Ms. Carman Lapointe at 4.00 PM on Thursday 27 August 2015

 [Ban Ki-moon, we note, has another appointed at 4:10 pm.]  

Inner City Press has heard, asked and reported that Lapointe, days before leaving the UN, is set to travel all the way to Manila for a conference or junket, among with her special assistant Byun-kun Min, and her Assistant Secretary General David Kanja (the organizers of the farewell.)

 Why would a UN official go to such a conference days before leaving the organization? As noted, Lapointe is to leave the UN two days later, on September 13. Here is the question Inner City Press has submitted to Ban Ki-moon's spokesperson's office:

"Please state who from OIOS will be attending this in Manila:
'"about 50 United Nations (UN) agencies, multilateral financial institutions, and inter-governmental organizations in a forum to discuss topics of common interests to the internal auditing profession. The RIAS 2015 will be held at the Asian Development Bank in Manila on 8 to 11 September 2015.'

"and if any beyond IAD Director Eleanor Burns, please state the rationale including for the UN / public expenditure."

We'll have more on this.

  Inner City Press while repeatedly asking the UN about its ostensibly independent panel predicted the UN will try to point to the departure of officials at or over their departure dates (Human Rights deputy Flavia Pansieri, OIOS' Carman Lapointe and Ethics Officer Dubinsky) as a way not to act on, for example, Ladsous who was appointed by and is protected by France, whose soldiers were the alleged rapists in this case.

  On July 22 the UN Spokesperson's office said Pansieri had "resigned," citing health reasons. Inner City Press immediately asked for confirmation she had been at - over - the expiration of her contract anyway. The spokesperson wouldn't confirm this, nor answer Inner City Press if Pansieri has or will speak with the (ostensibly) independent panel.

  Now on July 24 OHCHR protests -- too much, some say -- that Pansieri's resignation got linked to the CAR scandal it does not wish to surround Zeid and, it seems, Ladsous. Before Pansieri told her family and friends about resigning, Zeid emailed staff, then was surprised it was leaked. The explanation must be compared to what the UNDT was told. Here's the July 24 OHCHR briefing notes, with Inner City Press [annotations]:

"On Wednesday, after she had informed the High Commissioner that she had reluctantly – because of her health situation – decided she could not continue to fulfill her very demanding functions, he sent a message to all staff relaying her decision and expressing his own regret and wishes for her speedy recovery. He also noted that she had requested that this news remain internal initially, until she had herself informed her friends and former colleagues of her decision."

[ICP: it seems foreseeable that such an email would be leaked - isn't that exactly what Kompass is being charged with?]

"Regrettably that wish was not honoured and within a few hours the news was spreading with the added insinuation that the reason for her resignation was linked to the ongoing investigations into the handling of the alleged sexual abuse of children by French troops in CAR.

"Since every single article published about her resignation has made that link, and either said or strongly implied that the reasons relating to her personal health were simply an excuse, she has authorized me to give a little more information about her health, something which – as would be the case with most of us – she would have preferred to remain private.

"Flavia Pansieri has had three separate serious medical conditions since the beginning of this year, and has twice been admitted as an emergency case to hospital, first of all in January and then again in early July, when she underwent an emergency operation for a detached retina. She is currently recuperating from that operation, but it is still not clear if she will regain her vision in the affected eye.

"Pansieri, who – as the High Commissioner put it in his note to the staff – had nobly agreed to come out of retirement to work for almost three years at OHCHR, has reasonably enough decided to finally prioritize her health and family. She also recognizes that in her current state of health, she cannot guarantee that she will regain the energy and stamina required for the very demanding job of Deputy High Commissioner. She has however said she is still available to carry out the functions, as best she can, until a replacement is appointed.

The High Commissioner stressed how grateful he is 'for her continuous commitment to this Office and the extraordinary dedication she has shown while fulfilling her very onerous workload, often going beyond the call of duty.'"

[ICP: Is this "beyond the call of duty" a reference to Zeid's charge, to the UNDT, that Pansieri met inappropriately with Swedish diplomats?]

 "He also deeply regrets the way his message to staff was leaked prematurely, and the manner in which her genuinely serious health situation was treated with such disrespect."

  Is this a critique of media coverage? Or again of staff?

  Inner City Press has already asked if Ladsous -- who used Ban Ki-moon's guards to expel Inner City Press from an "open" meeting -- has spoken with the panel; no answer. We'll have more on this.

  On July 10, Judge Thomas Laker of the UNDT denied a request by Kompass to suspend the Office of Internal Oversight investigation of him, including a requested July 13 interview, at least sending the 10-weeks work of the Panel Ban Ki-moon has named. (Laker' decision, here, at Paragraph 8 does say that "the High Commissioner had requested his resignation,
adding  that  the  Under-Secretary-General  for  the  Department  of  Peacekeeping Operations had made such request.")

 On July 7, Inner City Press asked UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric about France's one-year delay in now sending magistrates to CAR, and how this related to the UN on rapes in Darfur saying that such delay undermines justice and accountability. Video here. From the UN's transcript:

Inner City Press: the French judges are sending two magistrates to Bangui to belatedly speak with the child alleged victims of the Sangaris force there.  They're now saying that, as far back as August of last year, the French Defense Ministry investigators went.  This is now a year later that they're sending these investigators.  Given what the UN has said about the difficulty of investigating, for example, the Thabit rapes in Darfur after less than a year, what does the UN think about this gap?  It wasn't that the French didn't know.  The French sent somebody in August of last year and did nothing.  What's different now?  And is the UN going to help with this new…

Spokesman:  Obviously, we will cooperate in every way we can with the ongoing investigation.  I'm not going to comment on what gaps there may be within the French investigation.  I don't know what has been happening in the meantime.  I think we're just basing ourselves on press reports.  So I'm not going to comment on that.

Inner City Press:  I only say because the UN has said so much about the…

Spokesman:  No, no, I…  [cross talk] I stand by what I said.  What I'm saying to you is I don't know… we are not privy to all the details of what may be going on in the French investigation.  So I'm not going to comment on that.

  This seems to be the UN's policy. And what has the panel done so far?

Absent from the UN Fifth (Budget) Committee's May 18 meeting was not only embattled Peacekeeping chief Ladsous,, but also OIOS' Carman Lapointe.

 In her stead for OIOS was Michael Stefanovic, who told the Fifth Committee that he has recused himself from the investigation and has written to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as to why.

  This is highly irregular. If the recusal was made on a personal connection between Stefanovic and the whistleblower Anders Kompass, Stefanovic would have recused himself from the earlier investigation - but he didn't. If it were such a recusal, he would have written to Lapointe, and not to the S-G.

   For now we add this -- if OIOS Director Stefanovic has a conflict of interest, how can the UN be asking others to rely on an OIOS investigation? Inner City Press has asked a Permanent Member of the Security Council -- not France -- if an OIOS investigation would be sufficient, and has been told "No."

 Now we have this, from the Fifth Committee's May 20 meeting:

Lapointe, summoned to the meeting via her Byun-kun Min, was asked

-When did OIOS/ID start the investigation into Anders Kompass?

-Why did Mr. Stefanovic recuse himself from the Kompass investigation?

-In view of Mr. Stefanovic recusing himself, did Ms. Lapointe see any impediments for the scope of the investigation, especially as it appeared to implicate an ASG or USG in misconduct?

  Note - this is a reference to UN Peacekeeping USG Ladsous.

 Multiple sources tell Inner City Press Lapointe replied that Stefanovic told only the Secretary General, not her, that he recused himself, and that the Deputy Director of OIOS in Vienna is now "overseeing" the investigation.

So those now on the case are James Finniss, Kanja and Margaret Gichanga -- who has been asking to interview WIPO whistleblower Miranda Brown, who worked alongside Kompass for a time. We'll have more on this. It is a new low for the UN.

Back on May 18, Inner City Press, staking out the Budget Committee meeting, spoke with Ban's chief of staff Susana Malcorra when she left the meeting. Here is a transcript, followed by an exclusive summary of what happened inside the closed meeting.

Inner City Press: How did it go in there? Are their questions answered?

CdC Malcorra: Well I hope, yes. Some of them still have questions that will be answered by my colleague. I think I’ve made a point of what it is that we’re discussing here. This investigation is a UN investigation. It was led by the UN in the field when they had allegations handed to them. It was the human rights cell in the mission that led this investigation. It looks like we were absent, but it was us...

And this investigation could, at least prima facie, there were places clear enough to further investigate by the member state. And as such, the information was provided to a member state. On a separate front, is how the information is provided. And we cannot accept the irresponsibility of the names of the victims, the witnesses and the investigators shared with the member states ... it’s inacceptable. It may look like a bureaucratic approach. It’s not a bureaucratic approach...

Inner City Press: What about not telling Central African Republic authorities?

CdC Malcora: They are discussing that now.

   After the meeting ended, and Inner City Press spoke with numerous attendees - a common refrain was that the UN leadership is "in denial" - we have pieced together this summary of the meeting, and the totally insufficient answer on UN Peacekeeping chief Ladsous' role, a lack of recognition of his UNAMID mission's previous cover up of rapes in Tabit in Darfur, which the US and UK and other say they care about, and lack of follow up on whistleblowers.

Attendees' summary of Ban Ki-moon chief of staff Malcorra:

"Malcorra said she had no idea the session would go into the specifics of CAR, she thought it was to touch upon general Sexual Abuse and Exploitation policy (several attendees were dubious and angry about this approach.)

  Malcorra said that in the case of misconduct by UN staff the procedures were in place. In this case, even when it was not UN peacekeepers the human rights cell in Bangui was there and they were the ones that initiated the investigation. It is thanks to the UN that allegations were substantiated and it was enough to decide to proceed with a further investigation.

  The wrongdoing of the UN staffer Anders Kompass was to have shared the information without it being redacted putting the victims, witnesses and investigators lives in danger. She repeated many times this was a serious breach and that she disagreed with anyone that didn’t view this conduct wrong.

   According to Malcorra the UN investigation lasted three months which allowed them to substantiate the allegations.  When that finding was final it went to the two lines of command: The head of mission in CAR and the OHCHR.  But, several asked, why didn't either of these tell the CAR authorities?

Malcorra said she would have preferred this case hadn't surfaced in the media and that it is regrettable member states have had to learn matters from the press. But that, Malcorra said, member states have to be aware that the press manipulates everything. Several states talked about the UN image and credibility to which Malcorra said she was very sad with those comments because if not for the UN these troops could have gotten away with these disturbing acts. She also said this was a clear case of damned if you do damned if you don’t. But what about the cover up? What about Ladsous?

  Malcorra said that “no other element had been taken into account” for Kompass' firing. But member states were aware of Paragraph 9 of the UN Dispute Tribunal ruling reinstating Kompass. As noted, one Permanent Representatives (and several other diplomats) told Inner City Press that Ladsous should resign.

  Tellingly, the sources say, Malcorra claimed didn’t recall any UNAMID coverup allegations. Tabit?

   Malcorra didn’t even address the Otis report on whistleblowers - which Inner City Press has been asking Ban's spokesman about, repeatedly -- but assured member states that due protections are in place and that an adequate policy exists.

  Malcorra said she looks forward to working further on the UN convention in paragraph 57 of the SG report on SEA and agrees that there are systemic flaws, and therefore there will be a review of all the processes.

  According to sources in the meeting -- Inner City Press asked and was told to inquiry with member states -- the  Legal Counsel and head of OLA qualified as excellent the cooperation with the French Authorities and that the lifting of immunity so far hasn’t been necessary because at this stage its very general requests of information that the UN promptly has given to the French authorities. For the sake of efficiency hasn’t gone through the lifting of immunity process but if a trial or judge becomes involved they will do it quickly at a later stage. Several member states were dubious. The EU, Inner City ress is informed, said “accountability starts at the top.”

 Malcorra left unanswered why the host state, the CAR, was not involved. She is said to have ignored the specific question on the status of the OIOS investigation. She ignored the complaints about under-reporting saying that the trend of decrease was very clear and that the USG of DFS would go into details (what he did, genially, was repeat the Secretary General's report).

  An impartial investigation was called for, from both sides of the Atlantic and elsewhere. There was a refrain afterward: Ladsous should resign."

  A well-placed African Permanent Representative before the meeting told Inner City Press before the meeting that Ladsous should resign. But with him conveniently absent, would others be left holding the bag, trying to explain why he, Ladsous, appears in the UN Dispute Tribunal ruling as urging that the whistleblower resign?

  Here is the video of Inner City Press questions to US Ambassador Power:

  It is an answer that may move things forward. Ladsous, it should be noted, just this week snubbed a Joe Biden-linked Hemispheric peacekeeping conference in Uruguay, wasting an $8,000 first class plane ticket and angering many troop contributing countries. He refuses to answer Press question, for example on rapes in Minova, DRC and Tabit in Darfur.

   As noted, on May 8, High Commissioner Zeid held a press conference, and twice refused to comment on why Ladsous was said to have pressured to fire or suspend the whistleblower.

  Inner City Press has covered Ladsous' role from the beginning, and highlighted his appearance in Paragraph 9 of the UN Dispute Tribunal ruling reinstating Kompass. On May 7, Ladsous told Inner City Press, "I deny that" - then refused to take questions.

 Zeid was asked, and first time said he should first give his view of the pressure to the investigator, not the media.

 The second time, he said he was surprised to read it -- his Office did not contest that part of the ruling, effectively admitting it -- and that the head of UN Peacekeeping should not have been intervening about a non-UN force.  Video here.

 Neither he nor the questioners in the room in Geneva said the obvious: Ladsous is a longtime French diplomat; it is not rocket science to read Paragraph 9 as him (inappropriately) still working for "his" country.

 Zeid said other things we'll report later; he alluded to the need for a Commission of Inquiry. Some ask, will Ladsous quit before then? Or after?

 For more than nine months, no action was taken -- no interviews of victims or alleged perpetrators were done -- other than the UN suspending Kompass for the leak, on which the UN Dispute Tribunal ruling recites that UN Peacekeeping chief Ladsous requested Kompass' resignation. (See Paragraph 9, here.) Ladsous told Inner City Press he denies it - then refused questions.

  Early on May 8, UN system staff complained to Inner City Press that UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Prince Zeid of Jordan, in a closed staff meeting on May 8, tried to downplay the scandal, going so far as to blame imams in Bangui for not playing their role.

  But it was OHCHR which didn't even give the report of the rape of CAR children to CAR authorities, only to the French.

  In places, Zeid appeared to try to use his record ten years ago on sexual abuse to shift the blame to imams.  Inner City Press has shown a failure by his Office to act on past leaking, to Morocco. We'll have more on this.

  On May 7, Inner City Press asked more questions about this - including to Herve Ladsous himself.

  After a long closed-door consultation meeting of the Security Council, Ladsous emerged. Inner City Press asked him, based on Paragraph 9 of the UNDT ruling, Why did you ask Kompass to resign?"

  Ladsous stopped and said, "I deny that." Inner City Press put the handheld video online, here.