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Could UN Go Dark Due to
Corruption? UNTV Operator Dismantled, Electrical Contractor
Indicted,
Procurement Chaos
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED
NATIONS, April 5 --
Controversies surrounding the UN's procurement practices now extend to
those
who televise Security
Council meetings and media stakeouts, such as today on
North Korea, and even the lighting and electrical system inside the
UN.
The
principal of the UN's electrical contractor, Santo Petrocelli Sr. of
Petrocelli
Electric, was indicted on April 3 in Federal court in New York for
"federal
labor law violations for providing unlawful payments and benefits to an
International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers ('IBEW') Local 3 Business
Representative.
Petrocelli surrendered to federal authorities on the charges" on April
3. Inner City Press is putting the
document online, here.
Meanwhile the owner of Venue Services Group, UNTV's
operator, has been
forced to sell off its assets by its secured creditor Wachovia Capital
Finance:
"National Mobile Television has laid off 47
staffers,
closed offices in New Jersey and Florida, and appears to be setting the
stage
to close its doors after more than 40 years in operation. The Torrance,
CA-based remote-production company’s secured lender, Wachovia Capital
Finance,
has also issued a Notice of Public Sale of Collateral for the company’s
remaining assets during an auction."
This triggered a memo from the IBEW to those who
work for UN TV:
All indications are pointing to a
complete dissolution of the company which has been on the brink of
bankruptcy
for many years. While anyone paying attention to this situation since
our last
contract negotiation will not be surprised by this latest development,
it still
leaves open many unresolved issues and questions. One particular
situation that
remains unresolved is the issue regarding unmade payments from NMT to
our
pension fund. Payments have been in arrears for over 3 months and the
amount
still owed exceeds $250,000.00 and counting. Pension Board lawyers are
actively
engaged in this situation. While the details of their talks with
NMT remains undisclosed, it has been reported that all options are
on the
table, including the possibility of commencing legal action...
Unavoidably, the
United Nations is aware of all the problems stated above."
How could the UN be
contracting
with companies in such shambles and criminal predicaments?
Greece's foreign minister on UN TV, could go
dark, Trojan horse not shown
Both of these two
cases run through Joan McDonald and Andrew Nye of the Facilities
Management
Service of the Department of Management, headed by Angela Kane. It is
difficult
to argue that both of these situations were unforeseeable at the time
of
contracting. As simply one example, Inner City
Press reported in detail on VSG in mid-2008.
Beyond the public reports of the sell-off of VSG's parent,
well-placed sources have long told Inner City Press of VSG moving its
executives into the UN as their Jersey office space was closed. Two
executives
remain; then-honcho Dave Shaw was rebuffed. Why
did the UN go forward with the deal, then
remain unprotected? What will be done about Petrocelli? What
accountability is
there? What safeguards are in place?
Click here
for a new YouTube video, mostly UN Headquarters footage, about civilian
deaths
in Sri Lanka.
Click here for Inner City
Press' March 27 UN debate
Click here for Inner City
Press March 12 UN (and AIG
bailout) debate
Click here for Inner City
Press' Feb 26 UN debate
Click
here
for Feb.
12 debate on Sri Lanka http://bloggingheads.tv/diavlogs/17772?in=11:33&out=32:56
Click here for Inner City Press' Jan.
16, 2009 debate about Gaza
Click here for Inner City Press'
review-of-2008 UN Top Ten debate
Click here for Inner
City Press' December 24 debate on UN budget, Niger
Click here from Inner City Press'
December 12 debate on UN double standards
Click here for Inner
City Press' November 25 debate on Somalia, politics
and this October 17 debate, on
Security Council and Obama and the UN.
* * *
These
reports are
usually also available through Google
News and on Lexis-Nexis.
Click here
for a Reuters
AlertNet piece by this correspondent
about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click
here
for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali
National
Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an
undefined trust fund. Video
Analysis here
Feedback: Editorial
[at] innercitypress.com
UN
Office: S-453A, UN, NY 10017
USA
Tel: 212-963-1439
Reporter's
mobile (and
weekends):
718-716-3540
Other,
earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available
in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.
Copyright
2006-08 Inner City Press, Inc. To request
reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at]
innercitypress.com -
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