Annan Family Ties With Purchaser from Compass, Embroiled in UN Scandal, Raise Unanswered Ethical Questions

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN

Since picked up by, e.g., The Times of London of Aug. 30, click here to view

UNITED NATIONS, August 28, 2006 (Updated Aug. 29 and November 7, 2007) -- Questions about the purchase of part of Compass / ESS, embroiled in a United Nations scandal, by Sweden's Wallenberg family, of which the UN's Secretary General's wife is a member, have gone unanswered in recent days.

            The Compass Group has itself admitted "serious irregularities" in the way UN food service and catering contracts were won by Compass subsidiary Eurest Support Services, in Liberia, East Timor, Burundi, Ethiopia and elsewhere. Confronting UN scandal-caused financial setbacks, Compass arranged a sell-off of assets, managed by Citigroup.

            On April 9, 2006, the Wallenbergs' EQT Partners agreed to buy Select Service Partner from Compass for over $2 billion. In the months since, without explicit reference to the Compass-Wallenberg deal, Inner City Press and others have asked if Kofi Annan has filed his required financial disclosure, which mandates the disclosure of any senior UN official's

"spouse’s interest in, or association with, any entity with which the staff member may be required, directly or indirectly, to have dealings on behalf of the Organization, or which has any commercial interest in the work of the United Nations, or a common area of activity with the United Nations."

            Senior UN sources indicated that there may be more than an "association" but even a direct financial interest that may explain Annan's and his spokesman's reticence to file disclosure or even address the filing issue.

            On August 25, Inner City Press asked if Nane Annan is a beneficiary of the Wallenberg Trust companies, which include EQT Partners, ram ONE and Investor AB, among others.

       [Ed.'s note: It seems that the answer is "no." A Q&A has been removed.]

6/15/06 press conference (Inner City Press asked about a UN Freedom of Information Act)

     But given the issues of UN scandals and Mr. Annan's claim of reforms, to either have allowed the conflict of interest existing if Mrs. Annan is a Wallenberg beneficiary, or to refuse to timely disclose her beneficiary status if any, reflects the lack of transparency of which many observers complain.

            On Monday Inner City Press again asked Mr. Dujarric, at the noon briefing, if Nane Annan is a beneficiary of any affiliate of the Wallenberg Trust. Mr. Dujurric responded, including to follow-ups by another reporter, that he has no information. He would not specify if he had asked Mr. or Mrs. Annan. Video here, beginning at Minute 12:45.

            In an interview with Inner City Press, a senior UN official who declined to be named in light of the Secretariat's ability to retaliate, said that the Compass - Wallenberg - Nane Annan connection might explain Kofi Annan's failure to date to file the required personal financial disclosure.

            The "serious irregularities" that Compass has diplomatically acknowledged began to become public in connection when UN official Alexander Yakovlev pleaded guilty to money laundering and wire fraud. It emerged that Compass' ESS had been using an intermediary to pay bribes and otherwise improperly get confidential information about UN contracts, including the specifics of bids by ESS' competitors. At least two of these competitors have since sued Compass and ESS for these practices.

            While Inner City Press is, to its knowledge, the first to raise this issue, that the seller to the Wallenbergs, Compass, is embroiled in a UN scandal is entirely in the public record.  The Wall Street publication The Deal of April 11 noted that Compass " in recent months has issued a series of profit warnings, seen its stock price plunge and been investigated for improperly obtaining confidential information about a U.N. contract."

            The trade publication Hotel Report of April 2006 reported, in the same article:

"Compass Group has sold its Select Service Partner catering business to the Macquarie bank group and the Swedish Wallenberg family for 1.879 billion pounds. Wallenberg has bought SSP's estimated 2,000 airport and railway concessions, which include the Whistlestop and Upper Crust brands, and the Harry Ramsden's fish and chip restaurants...

"Compass is currently facing a series of legal wranglings after a second complaint was filed against it in a US court from a rival company accusing it of winning supply contracts to the United Nations through "illegal conduct". Es-ko Internationals claims it would have won $574 million of contracts from the UN but for Compass, which it claims took part in a 'criminal scheme and conspiracy to rig bidding for the award of hundreds of millions of dollars of UN contracts.' The private company, which was in competition with Compass's Euro Support Services (ESS) arm for the contracts, has lodged a claim in the US District Court for $369 million. The Monaco-based business, which supplies provisions to UN peacekeepers, claims it has lost $86m in profit from contracts won by ESS and $37 million due to reduced profit margins in contracts that it did win. It is claiming treble damages based on the alleged criminal behavior by ESS. This is the second such claim to be served on Compass by a competitor in connection with UN contracts. All of Compass's existing UN contracts were re-tendered last October, after it was suspended as a vendor to the UN pending an investigation. However, Es-Ko claims that these sackings are a 'cover up' and that the knowledge of a dishonest relationship between ESS and IHC Services, an intermediary company used by ESS in its dealings with the UN, went deeper into Compass than it would admit, and included for the first time outgoing chief executive Mike Bailey in its legal action. It claims Bailey was involved with Peter Harris, former head of ESS, and one of those sacked, in 'formulating the initial business relationship with Compass/ESS and the UN.'"

            As even this trade publication narrative makes clear, Compass' sell-off of assets cannot be disconnected or viewed in isolation from its involvement in UN procurement scandals.  So, the thinking goes, one would expect bells to go off when a Wallenberg-controlled private equity fund buys major assets from this UN scandal-plagued seller.

            That Nane Annan is a niece of Raoul Wallenberg has been noted even in UN press releases, for example one of January 17, 2006, which quotes Kofi Annan and states that "Nane Annan is the niece of Raoul Wallenberg." See, http://www.un.org/apps/news/storyAr.asp?NewsID=17319

            The UN financial disclosure form, which all officials of the level of Assistant Secretary General and above must file and which is online at http://www.un.org/reform/stsgb_2005_19eng.pdf, requires the disclosure of any such official's

"spouse’s interest in, or association with, any entity with which the staff member may be required, directly or indirectly, to have dealings on behalf of the Organization, or which has any commercial interest in the work of the United Nations, or a common area of activity with the United Nations."

            The senior UN sources notes that the Wallenberg - Compass purchase of April 2006 appears to fall under this requirement. In an abundance of caution, and some have said an excess of fairness, Inner City Press gave Kofi Annan's spokesman 72 hours to disclose whether the Secretary General's spouse association with the Wallenbergs is also an "interest." No response was given. Mr. Dujurric responded, including to follow-ups by another reporter, that he has no information. He would not specify if he had asked Mr. or Mrs. Annan.

Update of Aug. 29 -- At Tuesday's noon briefing, Inner City Press again asked for an answer on the Compass Group sale to the Wallenbergs; the spokesman said he still has no information, video is here. The story has picked up by, e.g., The Times of London of Aug. 30, click here to view

Update: the Spokesman subsequently denied that Nanne Annan is a beneficiary of the "Wallenberg Family Trust;" on September 13, 2006

Inner City Press asked Mr. Annan why he has apparently not filed his UN Financial Disclosure form, despite at least two statements by his spokesman that he would. Mr. Annan answered, "I honor all my obligations to the UN, and I think that is as I've always done." (Video here, from Minute 45:25, transcript here.) While technically the UN Financial Disclosure form must be filled out by all senior UN officials except the Secretary General, spokesman Stephane Dujarric has said Mr. Annan would file, in at least two press conferences this year.

  On May 3, Mr. Dujarric told reporters that Mr. Annan's "form will be filled out, I have no doubt" including so that the Secretary-General could "be an example to the rest of the staff who need to fill it out." In another briefing he repeated, "The Secretary-General will, as we had said, fill out the form." Now it's said the form has not been filled out, and Mr. Annan reverts to the cryptic position that "I honor all my obligations to the UN, and I think that is as I've always done."

Inner City Press last week asked the spokesman's office point blank if Mr. Annan had filed, and was told that the official response is that Mr. Annan has met his legal obligation, and that this means that since the Secretary-General is the one high UN official who is not required to file, he has not done so. Inner City Press then referenced, without any response or explanation being given, previous statements on the issue, including

            Under-Secretary General for Management Christopher Burnham on February 11, 2005, as summarized by the UN itself, said of the Financial Disclosure forms that "the Secretary-General would not only fill one out, but would probably be the first do so."

    Now it's said the form has not been filled out, and Mr. Annan reverts to the position that "I honor all my obligations to the UN, and I think that is as I've always done" - that is, that he "acted lawfully."

  Just before 5 p.m. press time, Inner City Press again sought an explanation from the Spokesman's Office and was again told that the Secretary-General follows all laws, and no law requires his filing of the UN's Financial Disclosure form. Asked to explain the change between, for example, the May 3, 2006 statement that Mr. Annan's "form will be filled out," including "to be an example to the rest of the staff who need to fill it out" and what has happened (or not happened) since, there was no verbal response. Tough job, at least on this.

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Inquiry Into Housing Subsidies Contrary to UN Charter Goes Ignored for 8 Weeks, As Head UN Peacekeeper Does Not Respond

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN

UNITED NATIONS, August 24 (updated Aug. 28, 1 pm) -- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has let eight weeks pass without responding to a request for information about senior UN officials receiving housing subsidies from their country of nationality, it emerged on Thursday.  Former Deputy Secretary Louise Frechette was asked if she received such subsidies and said no, according to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. Despite a specific request from Inner City Press at 5 p.m. Thursday for a similar response from Jean-Marie Guehenno, the head of UN peacekeeping, five hours later by 10 p.m. deadline no response was received. Deputy UN peacekeeping spokesman Hernan Vales said that since Mr. Guehenno is out of the country, no response will be possible until next week.

            High-placed sources within UN Headquarters showed Inner City Press a copy of a letter from U.S. Ambassador John R. Bolton, dated June 27, 2006, to Secretary-General. Kofi Annan. The letter asked Mr. Annan for information about UN officials who receive housing subsidies from their countries of nationality in contravention of their duties, under Article 100.1 of the UN Charter, to "refrain from any action which might reflect on their position as international officials responsible only to the Organization" of the UN.

            One week ago, Inner City Press asked the deputy spokesman of the U.S. Mission, Benjamin Chang, if any response to the letter, whose existence had yet to be publicly disclosed, had been received. Inner City Press also asked if the U.S. Mission was aware if the Secretary-General has filed his required financial disclosure.  While the latter question has yet to be answered, Mr. Chang stated that while he was unaware of Ambassador Bolton's letter he would check.

            Late on the afternoon of August 24, the lead spokesman of the U.S. Mission Richard A. Grenell called Inner City Press offering to fax a copy of John Bolton's letter. His office told Inner City Press that no response has been received, eight weeks after the letter was sent to Kofi Annan.

            Inner City Press then immediately provided a copy of the letter to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric, and asked if and why not response had been provided, and for responses specifically on Louise Frechette and Jean-Marie Guehenno. These two individuals were named to Inner City Press by the sources who first showed glimpses of the letter.

            Mr. Dujarric responded, as to Canadian Ms. Frechette, that "I asked her and she said no."  As to Jean-Marie Guehenno, Annan's spokesman's office did not provide a denial, nor any other response for the following five hours.

Guehenno, back in Haiti

            On August 22, at the UN's formal noon press conference, Inner City Press had inquired into the location and activities of Mr. Guehenno, whose deputy Hedi Annabi had been conducting the UN peacekeeping work of meeting with potential troop contributors to the UN's Lebanon force. The spokesman said that Mr. "Guehenno is in France on personal business." Video here, from Minute 42:23.

            In the spirit of disclosure, Inner City Press has previously interviewed Jean-Marie Guehenno concerning this year's loss of focus, at least in Africa,on peacekeeping and concerning the offer of a colonel's position in the Congolese Army to Peter Karim, whose militia took hostage seven UN peacekeepers earlier until early last month. Mr. Guehenno, who had previously told Inner City Press that Peter Karim "is on drugs," more recently explained the negotiations as solved because the hostage takers "just wanted jobs." Mr. Guehenno also responded to questions about the UN's Congo Mission's self-exoneration regarding reported abuse at Kazana in Eastern Congo by saying the report was still being considered, a statement yet to be followed up. Video here, Minutes 23:50 to 30:30.

            Thursday afternoon, less than an hour after the U.S. Mission provided a copy of John Bolton's letter, Inner City Press sought out lead UN Peacekeeping spokesman Nick Birnback but was told that he is out until August 29. Deputy spokesman for peacekeeping Hernan Vales said that "all of these issues are personal and confidential" and are "not really work related."

            As Inner City Press, and the letter, pointed out to Mr. Vales, the UN's bulletin on financial disclosure and declaration of interest statements, Document ST/SGB/2006/6, requires the disclosure of "any form of supplement, direct or indirect, to the United Nations emoluments, including provisions of housing or subsidized housing or any... benefit, remuneration or in kind contribution from any government, governmental agency or other non United Nations source aggregating $250 or more...".  Article 100.1 of the UN Charter requires that Secretariat staff "refrain from any action which might reflect on their position as international officials responsible only to the Organization" of the UN.

            Asked to respond to this logic, that senior UN official need to have their allegiance be, and to seen to be, only to the UN, and not their country of nationality, Mr. Vales asked Inner City Press to hold off publishing this story. When Mr. Vales then said that no response would be possible until next week, Inner City Press decided to wait four more hours for any written responses, and then publish.

Update of August 25, 5 p.m. -- Just prior to the UN noon press briefing on Friday, Kofi Annan's spokesman called Inner City Press aside and said, "I have answers for you, if you'll wait until after the briefing."

 "What are the answers?"

  "We're aware of the letter and we're responding to it. These are obviously issues we are looking at through the financial disclosures."

  The spokesman issued an off-the-record, then subsequently on-the-record, denial as to Jean-Marie Guehenno. On other issues he has promised to respond.

Update of August 28, 1 p.m. -- At Monday's noon briefing, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric answered questions about the housing subsidies by saying it is still being looked into.

  Also Monday Inner City Press asked Ambassador Bolton three questions: his view on the Secretariat's non-response for two months, what the letter was getting at, and whether he is aware if the Secretary-General has filed in required financial disclosure form. Video here, from Minute 8:20.

  Amb. Bolton answered that the housing subsidies to which the letter referred appear to violate UN regulations, that he wanted an answer, and that he is not aware if Mr. Annan has filed his financial disclosure form. This last, Inner City Press asked in connection with its inquiry into the purchase of part of Compass / ESS, embroiled in a United Nations scandal, by Sweden's Wallenberg family, of which the UN's Secretary General's wife is a member, see August 28 story above.

 For or with more information: editorial [at] innercitypress.com

Text of letter

June 27, 2006

Dear Mr. Secretary-General,

         A recent review of your bulletin on financial disclosure and declaration of interest statements (ST/SGB/2006/6) raised a few questions about acceptance of benefits by UN staff members, their spouses and dependent children. The financial disclosure regulations refer, for example, to "Any form of supplement, direct or indirect, to the United Nations emoluments, including provisions of housing or subsidized housing or any... benefit, remuneration or in kind contribution from any government, governmental agency or other non United Nations source aggregating $250 of more..."

        Any acceptance of benefits should, of course, not contravene the Charter requirements that Secretariat staff "refrain from any action which might reflect on their position as international officials responsible only to the Organization (Art 100.1). It is therefore important that there be complete transparency with regard to such benefits. We think that it is essential that even the appearance of action inconsistent with article 100 of the Charter be avoided.

       To this end, please make available to member states the following information: the number of staff members of the United Nations required to file disclosures who have received such housing or subsidized housing or other benefits,; the source of such benefits; and the value of such housing or housing subsidies or other benefits. We recognize that there may be a need to maintain confidentiality in regard to certain information required in connection with the financial disclosure regulations. However, any such requirement need not and should not restrict the disclosure of the type of information that we are requesting.

Sincerely,

John R. Bolton

   This letter was shown to Inner City Press by UN Headquarters sources and subsequently confirmed and provided by the U.S. Mission on August 24, 2006

Congo Shootout Triggers Kofi Annan Call, While Agent Orange Protest Yields Email from Old London

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee at the UN

UNITED NATIONS, August 22 -- Kofi Annan placed telephone calls to the Congo as his envoy William Lacy Swing was pinned down by the DCR presidential guards' artillery fire while in the home of second-place finisher Jean-Pierre Bemba. These details emerged Tuesday at UN headquarters, from which Mr. Annan has been placing a much higher volume of calls about the Middle East.

   In an impromptu interview with Inner City Press in the hallway outside the Security Council, the UN's deputy chief of peacekeeping Hedi Annabi said Mr. Swing is safe and sound, and that the Secretary-General's calls to both Joseph Kabila and Bemba "seemed to have some effect." Another UN staffer soon thereafter made an off-color and -the-cuff joke about invitations to have lunch with Bemba, whose campaigning includes denying a cannibal past.

   The Security Council after a hastily-called meeting on Tuesday afternoon issued a press statement calling among other things on Messrs. Kabila and Bemba to keep their gunmen off the streets, for the electoral process and calendar to be respected. Inner City Press asked the Council's president Nana Effah-Apenteng if any appeals or challenges to the election have yet been filed, and if the Kabila forces, which fired even on William Lacy Swing, had committed to the Secretary-General to henceforth cease and desist. "Don't know" was the answer to the former, and to the latter too, in essence. Video at http://webcast.un.org/ramgen/sc/so060822pm1.rm

            While the shooting at his envoy got Kofi on the phone to Kinshasa, the same can't be said of Somalia, as it veers toward Horn-wide war. For weeks Inner City Press has asked what the UN is doing, including specifically for it to confirm or deny the widely-reported presence of Ethiopian troops in Baidoa and elsewhere. Monday Kofi Annan's spokesman said the "Somalia file is with the Department of Political Affairs," whom he would ask to respond. Tuesday at noon, Inner City Press repeated its request. At an early afternoon stakeout, UN Under Secretary General Ibrahim Gambari was asked by Inner City Press what he and his office are going on Somalia, specifically the Ethiopian troops.

UN's Air Africa -- coming or going? per Ian Steele

  Mr. Gambari responded that "DPA is the lead department on Somalia... We support Francois Fall" who is "promoting dialogue" between the "fragile and weak" Transitional Federal Government and the Islamic Courts. Without specifying whether Ethiopian troops are in Somalia or not, Mr. Gambari inveighed against the introduction of elements into "fragile" Somalia. Video at http://webcast.un.org/ramgen/sc/so060822pm.rm

            But it precisely because the Transitional Federal Government installed in Baidoa is so fragile, and losing support, that Ethiopia's intervening, and the UN looking the other way...

  Near deadline, from the Office of the Spokesman for the Secretary-General came this:

"Like you, we have read reports in the press of the presence of Ethiopian troops on Somali soil but have no independent confirmation of it. The UN Political Office for Somalia (DPA's primary source of information on Somalia), which is based in Nairobi, has neither the mandate nor the field monitoring capacity to assess the veracity of such reports."

  So -- the UN's lead division on Somalia has as its primary (and apparently only) sources of information an office that says it has no mandate to see or report on the invasion of one country by another? The questions will continue because they must.

On the UN - Corporate Beat, Dow Chemical Luncheon Chickens Come Home to Roost

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee at the UN

Other Inner City Press reports are archived on www.InnerCityPress.org - 

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