As UNDP's Clark Talks Haiti, Dodges Transfer of Retaliator
UNITED NATIONS, March 29 -- Helen Clark the Administrator of the UN Development Program acknowledged Monday the finding that UNDP engaged in retaliation against whistleblower Ismael Ahmed in Somalia.
Inner City Press asked about the case, and why two who Ahmed says were responsible for the retaliation, Eric Overvest and Bruno Lemarquis, were transferred to UNDP in Haiti. Video here, from Minute 36:19.
Ms. Clark, who until Monday had rebuffed months of requests that she come to UN headquarters and take questions, said there is "no basis for concluding" Mr. Overvest was "involved in any wrongdoing in the Somalia program."
Beyond Inner City Press' previous exclusive report of Overvest's presumptive retaliation against UNDP consultant Edwina Thompson, an Australia national, who was hired to evaluate UNDP's contested remittance program in Somalia, document have emerged showing Overvest's direct involvement in irregularities. The vindicated Ismael Ahmed states:
When Eric’s various strategies for finding a way of releasing advance payment to PayQuik failed to work, he just simply decided to release the payment. In a blatant violation of UNDP procurement rules and regulations, a fraudulent payment of $382,200 (i.e. about 60% of the license) was made to PayQuik before it fulfilled any of the conditions such as a contract, bank guarantee or purchase of servers and software. Eric released this payment with full knowledge that the system does not even meet the minimum qualifying conditions required by the RFP and therefore should have been rejected. The transaction details are as follows:
Amount: $382,200
Vendor: Payquik.com, Inc., 150 Monument Road , Bala Cynwyd , Pa 19004
Date of Payment: 3 April 2008
Voucher No: 00022161
Vendor No: 0000001956
Project Code: 00036033
So Helen Clark said there is "no basis for concluding" Mr. Overvest was "involved in any wrongdoing in the Somalia program." This then will be a test of Helen Clark.
Since assuming the top position at UNDP, Ms. Clark has refused repeated invitations to hold a press conference with Q & A in UN headquarters, as her predecessorsark Malloch Brown and even Kemal Dervis did. Through her spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who some say did not agree with her position, Ms. Clark said no. She did, however, come in to UNDP's offices early on a Sunday morning, in order to appear on television in New Zealand.
Inner City Press made many of the requests for Ms. Clark to hold a press conference. Then, though the UN Correspondents' Association, the invitation was formalized. Still, nothing. On March 25, a vote was taken to raise the stakes, publicly. The next day, it was announced the Ms. Clark was coming, on the topic of Haiti. And none to soon.Watch this site. And see, www.innercitypress.com/undp5hclark032910.html
