UNITED NATIONS GATE, June 12 – A senior UN staff member who even UN judges described as trying to clean up the corruption in the Organization had his office raided and computer search and seized by what has become the retaliation team of Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Now as the UN refuses to answer questions, at least one other has been raided.
Inner City Press first received and publishedthis sample plea from UN staff, anonymous for fear of yet more retaliation by Guterres:
"From: [ ] @guerrillamail [dot] com
Date: Sun, Jun 9, 2019 at 1:17 AM
Subject: info
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress [dot] com
Date: Sun, Jun 9, 2019 at 1:17 AM
Subject: info
To: Matthew.Lee [at] innercitypress [dot] com
I write you inform to you about Tony Wilson, Director in UN Management. Wilson complained to the big bosses about retaliation after he made reports to Investigations. He won at UN court but gave up when he got sick and not been at work since. Last week his desk was raided by Investigations. Bosses told all staff that all his equipment and files were taken, in a meeting, and the Wilson is investigated. We hear he is suspended. This is the response by bosses. Staff are scared of reporting anything."
Inner City Press, banned from even entering the UN now for 344 days in an earlier Guterres retaliation move, in writing asked Guterres, his Deputy Amina J. Mohammed and spokesmen Stephane Dujarric and Farhan Haq to "please immediately explain the raid on the office and computer of Tony Wilson, Chief, Financial Policy and Internal Controls at the D-1 level with the Office of Programme Planning, Finance and Budget, and provide the SG's response to this sent to Inner City Press by UN staff worried about further retaliation."
Two days later, including after a noon briefing run by Associate Spokesperson Eri Kaneko, no answer from the UN at all. But this, to Inner City Press, from yet another UN raided staff:
"My computers were also taken for this investigation. I got them back the next day supposedly because they weren't supposed to take them. I'm still not sure if I'm under investigation or not. Tony Wilson had been my Director since like 2006 until the recent 'reforms.'"
These are Guterres' "reforms" - targeting his own staff for raids and terror, roughing up and banning the Press that asks.
Tellingly, in terms of the need for outside intervention, investigation and prosecution of Guterres and his UN, Wilson whom he raided and seized evidence from to cover it up has been the Chief, Financial Policy and Internal Controls at the D-1 level with the Office of Programme Planning, Finance and Budget. That position has information of the expanding corruption by Guterres and his UN.
Here's from just one of the UN internal justice system decisions involving Wilson:
"Following a series of CMD’s at which the issues in the cases were discussed, it appeared to the Tribunal that the ongoing litigation between the parties may not necessarily be in the best interest of the individual staff member or the Organization. In particular, the Tribunal noted that an unusual feature of these cases was that the Applicant was not seeking financial recompense but was taking a principled approach to highlight what he regarded as individual and systemic failures to uphold the high standards set by art. 101.3 of the Charter of the United Nations, which provides:
'The paramount consideration in the employment of the staff and in the determination of the conditions of service shall be the necessity of securing the highest standards of efficiency, competence, and integrity. Due regard shall be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.'
"Although the Applicant was concerned and distressed by the manner in which he had been treated, he made it plain that he was keen to explore, in a constructive manner, a resolution of his complaints but also had in mind the ancillary benefit to other staff members if the issues of principle that he had raised were properly addressed."
Then Guterres' response to was to have Wilson's office raided and evidence seized. There needs to be an outside investigation and accountability. Watch this site.
In other, more hopeful news, the UN's introduction of cholera into Haiti, killing tens of thousands of Haitians and injuring a million more, has arrived at the U.S. Supreme Court. A cert petition recently filed states "it has never been explained to the Petitioners by any court how the UN can assume a liability that is enforceable nowhere."
Inner City Press, now daily covering the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York while banned from any entry into the UN by Guterres, will be in writing asking the UN about this cert petition, on which amici are soon to be heard from. Watch this site, @InnerCityPress and now @SDNYLIVE.
The UN banned Inner City Press, so it could not ask the question in person. Petition to Guterres here; GAP blogs I and II (“Harassment of US Journalist Intensifies at the UN”). Guterres through Alison Smale made it a lifetime ban on 17 August 2018, with no due process. On July 16, while awaiting the "investigation" the UN promised, Inner City Press e-mailed Guterres' deputy spokesman Farhan Haq, "Haitian Prime Minister Jack Guy Lafontant resigned, after civilians were killed protesting fuel price subsidy cuts. Again, that is the comment of UNSG and the UN Mission, given what the UN has done there including by introducing cholera and not paying reparations of any kind?"
First there was no answer - Haq couldn't have been busy, with Inner City Press banned there were only four questioners in the day's noon briefing. So Inner City Press asked again, cc-ing Guterres' Deputy Amina J. Mohammed and his Communicator Alison Smale, among others. Haq replied, "your email has been received and we are following up on answers." But by the end of the day, as Inner City Press covered a court hearing about convicted UN bribery Ng Lap Seng, nothing.
First there was no answer - Haq couldn't have been busy, with Inner City Press banned there were only four questioners in the day's noon briefing. So Inner City Press asked again, cc-ing Guterres' Deputy Amina J. Mohammed and his Communicator Alison Smale, among others. Haq replied, "your email has been received and we are following up on answers." But by the end of the day, as Inner City Press covered a court hearing about convicted UN bribery Ng Lap Seng, nothing.
This is a project for the Free UN Coalition for Access, @FUNCA_info. Watch these sites and feeds.
