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By Matthew Russell Lee, Video I II III RS HK

UNITED NATIONS GATE, February 4 – Today's UN and its partners including some on diplomacy are well versed in hypocrisy - but sometimes things go so far they must be noted and responded to, in the street if necessary. On 5 December 2018 after an eight day trial Inner City Press covered, also here, a jury in lower Manhattan rendered seven guilty verdicts in the UN bribery case of US v Ho, in which a still UN accredited NGO known as CEFC used the UN to offer weapons to Chad's Idriss Deby for oil and a stake in the Chad - Cameroon pipeline - and for paying $500,000 to a foundation suggested by Ugandan foreign minister Sam Kutesa's wife Edith Gasan Kutesa. While Guterres refuses Inner City Press' questions about why it is not a conflict of interest to refuse to audit CEFC when in 2018 it tried to buy Partex Oil & Gas from the Gulbenkian Foundation of which Guterres has been a paid board member, in Uganda President Museveni - for whom Kutesa sought a $500,000 campaign contribution - said his Attorney General would check where the money went. Even that is more than Guterres' UN is doing. Now Kutesa is proclaiming that his not being present for a UN meeting of other former PGAs - including Peter Thomson who also met with CEFC's Ye Jianming and Vuk Jeremic who worked for Ye - does NOT mean that he is under a travel ban or would be arrested in the United States. What does it say about the UN that three live former PGAs have these questions over them, with a fourth having died while on trial for taking bribes from the same Ye Jianming? Would current PGA Espinosa have invited John Ashe if he were still alive? In jail? We don't know - her spokesperson Monica Grayley has not responded to two e-mails from Inner City Press. Instead on February 4 she said that "not all former PGAs were invited," repeatedly, about Kutesa, adding that an ex PGA from "the Middle East" was going to come but couldn't. In the typical ghoulish hypocrisy of Guterres' - and Espinosa's? - UN, the faux question was from James Bays of Al Jazeera which/who worked with Stephane Dujarric to get roughed up and banned Inner City Press which actually covered the CEFC bribery trial; the softball moderator will be Valeria Robecco of the UN Correspondents Association which also works with Dujarric on censorship, and took money from UN briber Ng Lap Seng. We'll have more on this. On January 30 Grayley promoted, and Espinosa attended, a supposely "UN4ALL" event for those who paid money. This is today's UN. We'll have more on this.  And now this: The head of High Court Civil Division, Justice Andrew Bashaija, has been appointed to hear the bribery case against Kutesa. As defendant, Kutesa has been given 15 days from the date of receipt of the summons to file his defense before the hearing date is fixed. A concerned citizen, Brian Atuheire, petitioned court seeking a declaration that Mr Kutesa is unfit to hold a public office following the bribery allegations against him in the US court. Of course, this can't be done with regard to UN officials, who have (and abuse) total impunity. We'll have more on this. Uganda's Attorney General, William Byaruhanga, who is listed as one of the respondents in this case, has since assured Parliament that he will come up with a preliminary report on Kutesa bribery claims in January 2019.The evidence flashed on the screen at trial, seen by Inner City Press, makes the quid pro quo clear: $500,000 to wherever Kutesa said in exchange for business opportunities in Uganda. Now an interim report is due by December 20: Uganda's Speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga has directed the Government through Attorney General William Byaruhanga to provide parliament with an interim report into the allegations that Kutesa took a bribe from Former Hong Kong Home Affairs minister Patrick Ho Chi-ping for China Energy Fund Committeee in order to help him secure business deals in Uganda before parliament closes out on 20th of this month.

This came after Lwemiyaga county MP Theodore Sekikubo raised the matter before parliament and asked the house to take a decision. In response the attorney general William Byaruhanga informed parliament how the president had asked him to investigate the matter and will share the findings with parliament in January next year. But the MP disagreed with the attorney general on this time frame, saying they needed the report very first.
Kadaga then ordered Byaruhanga to present an interim report before parliament breaks off for a Christmas recess. Meanwhile at the UN -- nothing. This is a new low even for the UN of Antonio Guterres, who did not answer through his spokesmen the written request for comment from Inner City Press, banned from the UN for 161 days and counting by Guterres. Later on December 5 in front of an expensive catering hall near the UN, Cipriani 42nd Street, Secretary General Antonio Guterres lumbered out of a Mercedes and Inner City Press asked him, Any comment on the UN bribery guilty verdict? Guterres, whose spokesman Stephane Dujarric was standing in Cipriani's entrance, made a dismissive gesture with his hand and went in. Video here. Now on December 10 Dujarric has claimed "the UN was used and abused by a number of people." But Guterres has gone out of his way to not have listed WHO has used and abuse the UN. Presidents of the General Assembly Sam Kutesa and Vuk Jeremic? Why has Guterres refused to audit, and even left CEFC in the UN while barring Inner City Press? We'll have more on this. On December 6, on which Guterres spokesman did not answer a single one of the questions Inner City Press submitted in writing (despite three written promises by Guterres' USG Alison Smale that such questions would be answered), Dujarric was asked about Guterres' no comment, video here: "Question:  I saw the SG didn’t [answer] a question when asked about the Patrick Ho guilty charges last night.  Does he have a comment on that?

Spokesman:  Just to say that we have been cooperating with the Federal authorities here in New York from the beginning of this investigation." That's not the point - Guterres still hasn't even started and audit of CEFC (Inner City Press asked him why in January 2018 before being roughed up by his Security and banned still), and why CEFC is still accredited in the UN. The only one out is Inner City Press which questions Guterres' performance and use of funds. On December 6, as it had on December 5, Inner City Press asked in writing: "December 6-5: Given yesterday's seven guilty verdicts in US v Ho for bribery under the FCPA with regard to former UN PGA Sam Kutesa and Chad President Deby who was reached out to right inside the UN, what is the SG's comment and what will be his action on Ho's China Energy Fund Committee and others it has “reached out” to in the UN? Yesterday Inner City Press published a text message in which UN-accredited NGO China Energy Fund Committee's Patrick Ho texted the offer he'd make to Chad's Deby: “$200 million up front plus some arms & renminbi discount loans.” This is the UN NGO that SG Guterres has refused to audit: offering arms. Again, another exhibit made part of the record shows the head of UN accredited NGO China Energy Fund Committee planning to help violate Iran sanctions. Inner City Press has published the CEFC email. What now is the SG's comment and action on a still UN accredited NGO not only offering weapons to Chad's Deby and others, but moving to violate Iran sanctions? Also, a wiretapped audio was played in which Patrick Ho of still accredited CEFC plotted with Sheri Yan who pleaded guilty about bribing PGA John Ashe (RIP). Given that there WAS an audit of some of the bribing of Ashe, why has SG Guterres done no audit of Patrick Ho, and payments to PGAs Jeremic and Kutesa? Also, it was described how PGA Kutesa went to Hong Kong and made CEFC's Ye Jianming a special consultant or adviser to the office of the UN PGA. Given what else has come out at the trial - offers of weapons by CEFC as well as bribery evidence - what did UN DSS observe on that trip and do afterward? What are the duties of UN DSS officers? Also an exhibit was shown of Patrick Ho's entries into the UN, showing that the UN keeps such information. This is a request for that information with regard not only to Ho but also Kutesa after he was PGA, Francis Lorenzo, Carlos Garcia and Cary Yan. On Nov 29 Cheikh Gadio admitted to filing false joint tax returns with this spouse, the UN's Resident Representative in Equatorial Guinea. Please immediately state whether she informed the UN of false tax returns, what rules apply to such legal violations, and her current status. Again, on Nov 28 there was more testimony about how UN accredited NGO China Energy Fund Committee offered Chad's Deby not only $2 million in cash in gift boxes, but also tanks and surveillance equipment. Beyond the other questions from Inner City Press about this UN scandal you have refused to answer, please explain what actions have been taken on the pitching of weapons and bribes inside the UN building, where Patrick Ho routinely met UN Secretariat officials, where Gadio made this pitch to Deby - at a “high level” meeting about CAR, no less and where UN Security witness much of this and apparently did nothing (but now bans Inner City Press from entering to report). Again, what is the duty of UN Secretary and Secretariat staff when they witness such wrongdoing?" And just before noon on December 7, Guterres' Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq sent: "Regarding question December 6-5, we can say that the Organization takes note of the guilty verdict of Mr. Chi Ping Patrick Ho. The UN has cooperated extensively in this matter by making thousands of pages of documents available and providing access to its personnel." But of course this doesn't answer the real questions, now submitted: "December 7-4: Yesterday you were asked about SG Guterres refusing to answer Inner City Press' question about the US v. Ho verdict, you said only that the UN “cooperated.” Today you say UN “takes note.” But the question is, explain why SG Guterres who was asked (by Inner City Press) in January 2018 has STILL not even started an audit of a NGO still in the UN which not only paid cash bribes but also offered weapons for oil to a long time ruler. Please answer and explain this." Watch this site. On December 5, Guterres was a guest of honor - of the UN Correspondents Association. The UN bribery verdict questions must and will continue be asked, and should be answered. Watch this site. The tickets are expensive and the guest list is secret. Previously this group, formally the United Nations Correspondents Association, took money from now convicted UN briber Ng Lap Seng and then provide Ng a photo op with the Secretary General. Who will be paying this year? In the UN bribery prosecution by the US against Patrick Ho of China Energy Fund Committee, both prosecution and defense did their summations on December 4. On December 5 at 2 pm the jurors quickly found Ho guilty on seven of the eight changes against him: all five under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and money laundering and conspiracy for the Uganda scheme with Sam Kutesa and Museveni but NOT for money laundering in Chad There the payment was $2 million in cash - it was never laundered.  The UN has yet to act: it has left CEFC accredited while banning the Press that reported on it, and on this (CEFC moving to violate Iran sanctions). On December 4 prosecutor Daniel Richenthal did a rebuttal on both the Chad and Uganda schemes. Richenthal tried to rehabilitate Cheikh Gadio, saying the money he took from an unnamed courier from a businessman was only $20,000 and that Gadio hadn't lied about it. He emphasized the emails as evidence and ended with a photo of Ho with Uganda's oil minister, looking at a map of sites. Ho paid to be there, Richenthal said. This is what bribery looks like. Judge Loretta Preska deliverd a nearly two hour jury charge, including the Uganda anti-corruption law that must mena little, if Kutesa hasn't been charged under it. Th jury will returned at 10 am on December 5, now a Federal holiday in honor of George H.W. Bush (who nominated Preska). Defense attorney Edward Kim urged them to request and review many exhibits, and it's to some of those that Inner City Press will not turn. Watch this site. It still seems that the US does not know if the gift boxes CEFC brought to Kampala on its jet included $500,000 in cash. Prosecutor Douglas Zolkind said it doesn't matter. But it surely did matter to Museveni - and to the Ugandan people, if they and their votes matter (see, e.g., Bobi Wine). And it mattered to the defense, whose Edward Kim made much of the $500,000 discrepancy, as well as calling Gadio a liar. Next up: Richenthal for the prosecution, and the charge. On the afternoon of December 3 the jury charge was agreed to, after the defense temporarily argued that "New York, New York" might not be in Manhattan and thus in the Southern District's jurisdiction. Prosecutor Daniel Richenthal said he was ready to re-open his case to prove the 60 Wall Street, where Deutsche Bank is, is in fact in Manhattan. Defense attorney Benjamin Rosenberg said, after a time, "We won't make that objection. Judge Preska said, "That's a wise move." She also asked if the exhibits had been made available. Inner City Press replied Not yet, which remains the case as least as to it as of 6:35 pm the night before summations. (Before 9 am Inner City Press had written requesting particular exhibits, on which we will have more.)

  Despite Wednesday's national holiday in honor of George H.W. Bush (of whom Judge Preska spoke a number of times during Tuesday's down-times), Ho will on that day be produced (legalese requiring translation from the largely Hong Kong media left) the jury will deliberate. We'll be there. There was hardly any defense, other than the explosive cross examination of Senegal's former foreign minister Cheikh Gadio (who admitted taking cash from an undisclosed businessman for his previous presidential campaign). The government finally put into evidence CEFC's purchase of Apartment 78B in Trump World Tower, which PGA Vuk Jeremic, Gadio and others visited. There were weapons for oil offers prepared inside the UN. The jury will be charged on December 4. on the morning of November 30 the prosecution  detailed how CEFC bought UN PGA Sam Kutesa - and played an audio wiretap of Ho discussing bribing UN PGA John Ash with Sheri Yan, who did jail time in the first UN bribery case of Ng Lap Seng. As to Uganda, CEFC instead of $500,00 case did a wire transfer - it was cheaper, through pliant HSBC bank which also money launders for Mexican drug cartels - and there was Ho, in purple like today, as Museveni's inauguration. He brought gift with him - a vase, painting, what locked to be a clock - to a dinner at Kutesa's residence. Then the prosecution flashed a list of the times Ho entered the UN - the UN has that information, you see, though they refused to provide it when Inner City Press asked, as to Francis Lorenzo, Ho and Carlos Garcia, preferring to ban Inner City Press. 

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