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

UN Suspends Two for KFC Photos, But Did Treki's Daughter Invite the Colonel In?

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, November 2, updated below -- The UN confirmed on Monday that in the wake of the embarrassing photo op by UN General Assembly President Ali Treki with a man advertising KFC chicken by impersonating Colonel Sanders, it has placed to UN Security officers on administrative suspension.

  Inner City Press asked for the confirmation, and relatedly if President Treki's daughter, who is working in the Office of the President of the GA, had invited the Colonel Sanders to the UN's second floor, where he stood and spoke some words at the Security Council stakeout. Video here from Minute 24:21. Debate here.

  UN Spokesperson Michele Montas confirmed the two suspensions "while investigating" the matter, but referred the other question to Treki's spokesman Jean-Victor Nkoko, who acknowledged on camera having seen a photo of Colonel Sanders with Treki's daughter. On the rest, he said it is under investigation and would not comment. Video here, from Minute 27:33.

  But since two UN Security officers have been placed on administrative leave, Inner City Press asked Nkolo to get a yes or no answer whether Mr. Treki's daughter was involved, and if so why she too was not suspended. "That's a lot of if's," Nkolo responded.

  Inner City Press asked, is she subject to UN (Office of Human Resources Management) discipline? Or does she have some special status? She is a diplomat seconded by the Libyan mission, Nkolo answered, adding that everyone who comes into the UN "even as a visitor" is subject to some rules.

  But visitors, and apparently the daughter of the GA President while working in the GA President's Office, cannot be suspended. And one wonders if the Secretariat can truly let the chips or nuggest fall where they may while investigating the General Assembly President's Office and daughter. These are UN questions larger or separate than the commercial punking of the UN by KFC and its parent, Yum! Brands. Watch this site.

UN's Ali Treki with KFC's Colonel, Treki's daughter and DSS higher ups not shown

Foodnotes: While Officers Herring and Rodriguez have been suspended, Inner City Press is informed by a person present at the scene that the Colonel Sanders went into the Security office on the UN's first floor and photos of taken with him with higher level Security Officer David Bongi. Within the ranks of UN Security, there is talk of scapegoating of the two officers, and particular interest in what some call nepotism within the Office of the President of the General Assembly.

  While UN spokesperson Michele Montas was dismissive when Inner City Press asked what the repercussions of the incident for Yum! Brands' partnership with the UN World Food Program might be, arguing that its was KFC, not its parent, KFC's letter to Ban Ki-moon came from the Yum! Brands' public relations firm.

  Here is what Yum! said upon opening a restaurant in India:

"One of Yum! Brands’ four key business strategies is to drive aggressive international expansion and build strong brands everywhere 'The number of people who can afford our food will reach 200 million people within five years and we are very excited about serving Pizza Hut, KFC and soon Taco Bell to them'... In 2007, the company launched World Hunger Relief, the world’s largest private sector hunger relief effort to raise awareness, volunteerism and funds to benefit the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and other hunger relief agencies."

   What was that again, about a prohibition on using the UN's name for commercial purposes?

  After a phone call to WFP, Ms. Montas said in the UN briefing room that this is about KFP, not Yum! Brands, which is the parent company and is responsible Then Ms. Montas told Inner City Press to stop asking about the incident, ostensibly so that KFC would not get more publicity, and that she would herself return to the incident when there was new information. That was said in response to Inner City Press' question of if any Security officers had been suspended.

  But, after a colleague confirmed the suspension of two unnamed officers, Ms. Montas went through more than ten minutes of announcement without providing the update. Only after Inner City Press asked did she confirm, while declining to provide any further information. As in the ongoing nepotism scandals, the UN's refusal to answer questions and attempts to bury issues in investigations only ensures that the issues are drawn out, some predict toward explosive conclusions. The cover up, as is said, is often worse than the crime. Watch this space.

  Click here for Inner City Press' October 30 debate on 'KFC-gate.'