UNSG Job Move Plan Delayed To Sept Uganda Wanted 4 Years Guterres Serves China and FrancAfrique From Montreal

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive, 1st docs, II

UNITED NATIONS GATE, April 6 – At the UN with Antonio Guterres 28 months into his term as Secretary General, there's talk of reform but little transparency. Now after Guterres changed his failed proposal to move UN jobs out of New York, Uganda and Geneva - switched to proposing the jobs go to, where else, Shenzhen in China, while Guterres covers up for convicted UN briber China Energy Fund Committee - this too has failed. The UN Budget Committee, favors in which Guterres sold out to then chair Cameroon for, has delayed Guterres' modified proposal until at least September. Uganda, whose foreign minister Sam Kutesa like Guterres has financial links to CEFC China Energy, wanted it put back a full four years. 

Here was Uganda's draft, exclusively made public here by banned Inner City Press: "Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on the global service delivery model for the United Nations Secretariat,1 as well as the related report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, 1. Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General; 2. Also takes note of the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions; 3. Notes with appreciation the intention of the Secretary-General to establish a global service delivery model for the United Nations Secretariat; 4. Regrets the lack of transparency in the process leading to the current proposals; 5. Requests the Secretary-General to put forward a new proposal for the global service delivery model, for the consideration and approval of the General Assembly at its seventy-eighth session, which retains and builds on the existing shared service centre of the United Nations Secretariat established in July 2010 by the General Assembly, through its resolution 64/269 of 24 June 2010, and which preserves the skills, knowledge and experience of staff currently implementing shared services." But for now Guterres' proposal is delayed until September 2019 for consideration. What bribes might be paid by then? There's been no audit of CEFC China Energy, and Guterres continues to ban the Press which reports on this. Guterres is corrupt. Inner City Press, which was roughed up and banned from the UN by Guterres amid its questions about his CEFC links, has obtained an advance copy of the UN Advisory Committee on Administration and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) review of Guterres' changes; a close observer summarizes that China to the side bought off Uganda to drop or mitigate its opposition to losing so many jobs. Meanwhile even the ACABQ has problems with putting the French language, FrancAfrique serving center in Montreal, many time zones away. From the advance ACABQ, which Inner City Press is exclusively putting online in full, Scribd: "Taking into account the significant number of French-  speaking clients in the African region, the Advisory Committee notes with concern the  time zone gap between the region and Montréal, the centre that would provide French- speaking services to clients in Africa. The Committee expects that the Secretary-General  will provide more detailed information." Then again, Guterres might just get China to buy off or strong-arm those who have questions, for the jobs and Organization he is giving them while concealing his own financial links with CEFC China Energy.

  About Uganda, from the March 8 report: "Upon enquiry, the Advisory Committee was informed that since the inception of RSCE, approximately $7.71 million has been invested in RSCE office space, in addition to $9.77 million invested in training and technology facilities which are not related to the scope of the global service delivery model. The Advisory Committee expects the Secretary-General to provide further information to the General Assembly, at the time of its consideration of this report, on the investments made in RSCE. Considering the significant number of proposed abolishments, the investments made in RSCE to date, the request of the General Assembly in resolution 72/266 B, and its key regional role, the Advisory Committee trusts that the Secretary-General will ensure the optimal use of RSCE’s capacity and the implementation of mitigation measures for its affected staff.  The Committee recommends that the General Assembly request the Secretary-General to provide more information on this matter." Waste of money, to serve China. Guterres also proposing to move jobs to Montreal in Canada, a tip of his cap to Francophonie, and again to Nairobi from Uganda. Inner City Press which has reported exclusively on Guterres' bogus reforms from the beginning, and has for its troubled been roughed up by his Security and banned from entering the UN now for 202 days and counting, will have more on each of these proposals. Significantly, the "Not for distribution" document banned Inner City Press has obtained shows that Guterres aims to cut fully 349 UN jobs in Uganda. We have put in written questions to Guterres and his spokesmen Stephane Dujarric and Farhan Haq, who have not answered this: "January 22-1: On the SG's new Global Service Delivery Mechanism proposal, please immediately state how and why the SG chose China - including in light of the CEFC China Energy UN bribery and Gulbenkian Foundation issues you have refused to answer Inner City Press on - and how Montreal was selected, and how many post Uganda would lose." Seven hours later, no answer. But Inner City Press has the document: 349 jobs to be cut in Entebbe, under Guterres' plan. And now Uganda's Sam Kutesa, implicated in Patrick Ho's bribery for CEFC China Energy, linked to Guterres, is complaining about Guterres and an unnamed consultant, urging Uganda's Parliament to support a second fight. Even banned from entering the UN by Guterres as we cover the bribery, we will cover this. On January 22 the spokesperson for UN PGA Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, Monica Grayley, said that Espinosa's predecessor Sam Kutesa the foreign minister of Uganda who took $500,000 to China Energy Fund Committee will NOT be coming to an event for former PGAs in New York - she didn't say why. We'll have more on this. Here's about Shenzhen - in connection with which, consider Guterres omission of his paid board membership on Gulbenkian Foundation which tried to sell its Partex Oil company to CEFC even after the indictment of its Patrick Ho for UN bribery: "The proposed Global Shared Service Centre in Shenzhen will consist of the Office of the Chief, as well as the Finance Section, headed by a P-5 Section Chief, and the Client Support Unit, headed by a P-4 Unit Chief, who would report to the Chief of the Global Shared Service Centre in Shenzhen. The service centre will also manage a local client support desk staffed by three General Service (Local Level) in Bangkok to provide local client support services. The local client support desk positions will be funded by general temporary assistance for a period of up to two years after implementation. 61. The proposed “Chief of Global Shared Service Centre in Shenzhen” at the D-1 level will report to the Director, Global Shared Services and would be fully accountable for the service quality and operational performance of the Global Shared Service Centre in Shenzhen, including the implementation of the performance management framework at section and individual staff levels. He or she would be responsible for the following: • Implementing the business plan of the Global Shared Service Centre in Shenzhen, whose primary objective is to efficiently and effectively provide administrative transactional services in the areas of financial transactional services; • Planning, managing and overseeing the activities of all administrative and operational components of the service centre; leading and managing the operations of the office of 195 staff (173 posts + 22 GTA positions); • Ensuring effective service delivery and achieving the operational targets and key performance indicators; • Developing and implementing quality control mechanisms in place to improve the quality and timeliness of services;  18 [A/73/706] • Cultivating a culture of client orientation and service delivery by ensuring responsiveness of service centre staff to client queries, systematically evaluating client satisfaction and making adjustments as necessary; • Leading the implementation of change management initiatives focused on process improvements, increased automation and optimization of systems and tools; • Leading the implementation of a communications strategy that provides information to all service centre’s stakeholders through open and frequent communication channels; • Leading the implementation of future service expansions in this service centre location, including expansion of client base, implementation of new services, recruitment for new service sections or units, and upgrade of office facilities and ICT infrastructure as necessary; and • Liaising with the host country as necessary and appropriate on all matters pertaining to the host country agreement. 62. The proposed P-5 post would be section chief of the Finance Section with a number of 164 staff (148 posts + 16 GTA), responsible for leading and overseeing the operations of the section, managing staff performance and resources, and coordinating activities and reports related to budget and staffing. The Finance Section consists of the Accounts Payable Unit (140 staff) and the Special Global Operations Unit (23 staff), which will initially include processes related to bank reconciliation and calculation of travel and shipping lump-sum payments. 63. The seven proposed posts at the P-4 level include the following: • One post would be unit chief of the Client Support Unit (19 staff in the centre + 3 staff in the local client support desk in Bangkok), responsible for the management and operations of the unit to ensure standardized and efficient client support. • One post would be Administrative Officer in the Office of the Chief, responsible for the overall coordination of human resources management, budget preparation and financial management (including funding and cost recovery) for the service centre. • Four posts would be Finance Officers in the Accounts Payable Unit of the Finance Section, responsible for overseeing service delivery and assist the section chief in managing staff performance in the unit. • One post would be Finance Officer in the Special Global Operations Unit, responsible for overseeing service delivery and assist the section chief in managing staff performance in the unit. 64. The ten proposed posts at the P-3 level would include the following: • One Human Resources Officer, a Finance Officer and an Information Systems Officer located in the Office of the Chief, responsible for assisting in the coordination of human resources management, budget preparation, financial management and information technology support for the service centre. • Six Finance Officers assisting the P-4 Finance Officer in overseeing service delivery in the Accounts Payable Unit and the Special Global Operations Unit of the Finance Section. • One Administrative Officer assisting the Chief of the Client Support Unit in overseeing the daily operations of the unit. 65. The proposed P-2 post would be Associate Finance Officer in the Accounts Payable Unit of the Finance Section to assist in ensuring the delivery of transactional services. 66. The proposed fifteen General Service (Principal Level) posts would be responsible for assisting the professional officers in the supervision of larger teams of General Service (Local Level) staff in the 19 [A/73/706] Finance Section (13 PL) and the Client Support Unit (2 PL), as well as carrying out more complex transactions. The 138 General Service (Local level) posts would be responsible for carrying out administrative transactional services in the Finance Section (122 OL), as well as providing client support services in the Client Support Unit (13 OL) and administrative support in the Office of the Chief (3 OL)." On 1 July 2018 there was a claim that the peacekeeping budgets tied to the supposed reforms had been "approved," with no open meeting of the Budget Committee and with Inner City Press which covers it still banned from entering the building on the weekends or evenings when the Committee had consultations, having been ousted June 22 by Guterres' gun-toting guards who refused to give their names. Video here, story here, new petition here.So Inner City Press on July 3 went to cover the Fifth Committee meeting, of which it had been officially informed by UN spokespeople. But once there, it was physically ousted by rogue UN Security Lieutenant Ronald E. Dobbins and another, right in front of ASG Christian Saunders. On July 5, Inner City Press was banned from entering the UN, even as the UN bragged of approvals. But even UN meetings coverage says what the GA approved: "Under the draft’s section IV titled “Global service delivery model for the United Nations Secretariat”, the Assembly endorsed the conclusions and recommendations in ACABQ’s report (document A/72/7/Add.50), requesting that the Secretary-General submit a new proposal for the model no later than the first resumed part of its seventy-third session — which would take fully into account paragraph 5 of the ACABQ’s report, as well as comments, observations and recommendations of the Joint Inspection Unit — and to both consult and consider Member States and relevant stakeholders." So they ousted and are banning the Press for this - disgusting. 

In UN Bribery Case, Cheikh Gadio On Bail to Maryland, Spouse Works For UN in E. Guinea, Uganda Cited

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video, ICP in Hong King, here

UNITED NATIONS, November 27 – On November 20, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York issued an indictment against former Senegal foreign minister Cheikh Gadio and the head of the UN ECOSOC accredited China Energy Fund Committee Patrick Ho, accused together of bribing Chad's President Idriss Deby (as well as, for Ho, of bribing former UN President of the General Assembly Sam Kutesa, now as then the foreign minister of Uganda). 

Gadio, after having not gotten bailed out on November 22, appeared on November 27 before Federal Judge William Pauley, represented by Debevoise and Plimpton, and obtained conditions for bail. These include GPS tracking, confinement to a house in Maryland that has ostensibly remained empty for nearly ten years and a million dollar bond, co-signed by Senegal's former Ambassador to the US. Pre-hearing Periscope video here. 

In the courtroom on November 27 was Senegal's Consul General, who shook his head when the prosecution said that a "Chinese energy conglomate" -- CEFC -- or paradoxically Uganda might help Gadio flee. It emerged that Mrs. Gadio, also a co-signer on the bond and on a $700,000 bank account with Cheikh Gadio, works for the UN in a high position in Equatorial Guinea. Still the UN claims this case has nothing to do with it, and that there is nothing for it to audit. This, from the UN, is a cover up. Post-hearing Periscope here. 

Earlier on November 27, Inner City Press asked the spokesman of both UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres - whose DESA used $1 million from CEFC after the indictment - and of President of the General Assembly Miroslav Lajcak what has been done at the UN in the week after the indictment. Nothing, it seems. Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric told Inner City Press that he did not read in the indictment anything for the UN to follow up on, contrary to the UN audit conducted under Dujarric's former boss Ban Ki-moon after the indictment of Ng Lap Seng. Lajcak spokesman Brenden Varma told Inner City Press to contact ECOSOC and so it has, with these questions: "Today the PGA spokesman Brenden Varma told me I can only asked ECOSOC. So here are Inner City Press' questions, on deadline: What vetting of CEFC was done before it gained the status is has with ECOSOC? What have been CEFC's activities and appearances with ECOSOC?  Following the indictment of Patrick Ho and the material in the indictment, what steps is the ECOSOC President or other listed on ESOSOC's contact page taking? On deadline." While Inner City Press was afterward told to also email one Paul Simon, this bounced back, slip-sliding away. The first went through, and ECOSOC is on notice, like Guterres and Deputy Amina J. Mohammed. Watch this site. Gadio's role, described in the indictment, was in bribing Chad's long time president Idriss Deby to the tune of $2 million. Now amid calls in Uganda for Kutesa to resign, see below, in Chad they have turned out 2,000 to chant in favor of Deby, channeled by Radio France International. Some ask, $2 million divided by 2,000 is how much, minus the vig? In the U.S. this is called Astro-turf, an artificial surface for a sports stadium, fake grassroots. Similar moves are afoot for Gadio. What is the French connection? We'll have more on this. Contrary to the indictment which says Kutesa stepped down as Foreign Minister during his year as UN PGA, Inner City Press asked him on September 14, 2015 and Kutesa said, "I am still foreign minister." Scoop here, video here. While the UN of Secretary General Antonio Guterres, even after the indictment and Inner City Press' public questions went forward on November 21 with CEFC's money, see below, in Kampala members of Parliament are calling for Kutesa to resign as foreign minister. "President Museveni and Kutesa should resign and give Ugandans a chance to cleanse their country,” Gerald Karuhanga, Ntungamo Municipality MP, said. Joining the call for resignation(s) are Lwemiyaga MP Theodore Ssekikubo, John Baptist Nambeshe (Manjiya County), Nabilah Nagayi (Kampala Woman Representative), Patrick Nsamba (Kassanda North), Monicah Amoding (Kumi Municality), Barnabas Tinkasiimire (Buyaga West) and James Kaberuka (Kinkizi West). Meanwhile the UN, implicated, canceled Guterres' photo op involving the CEFC money but went forward and used it, while the event remained on the schedule of Guterres' Deputy SG Amina J. Mohammed, embroiled in a scandal involving the signing of 4,000 certificates for rosewood illegal logged in Cameroon and Nigeria and already in China. Ironically, she will be delivering the "Nelson Mandela" address. We'll have more on this.   On Thanksgiving eve November 22 at 4 pm in an otherwise empty courthouse at 500 Pearl Street, bail was sought for Gadio, so he could spend Thanksgiving in Maryland. Federal Defender - assigned counsel - Sabrina Shroff lambasted the prosecutors for delaying. She said that unlike Ng Lap Seng, the billionaire Macau-based businessman now still under house arrest despite six guilty verdicts in connection with UN bribery, her client is not a billionaire. Notably, he has said he is financially unable to retain counsel. Judge Marrero did not set him free on bail, setting the matter over for Monday after Thanksgiving. On the elevator down the prosecution was accused of "white man-splaining;" reference was made to Daniel Richenthal, prosecutor in the Ng Lap Seng trial as well, and to the UN International School. We'll have more on this - and another of Gadio's roles that brought him to the UN Press Briefing Room in October 2015, as "Special Envoy of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for the Central African Republic." The UN, increasingly, is corrupt. It is alleged that Chadian president Deby took bribes for oil concessions in Chad, and that 2014-15 UN President of the General Assembly Sam Kutesa took bribes for oil concessions in Uganda. Kutesa's predecessor John Ashe died under indictment; the depths of the UN's corruption extend into 2017 with the signing of dubious rosewood export certificates in Nigeria by Secretary General Antonio Guterres' Deputy Amina J. Mohammed and set-aside UN employment for the German Ambassador's wife, via Guterres' chief of staff. At noon on November 21 Inner City Press asked Guterres spokesman Farhan Haq about the indictment and CEFC and its $5 million grant program with UN DESA, transcript here and below. Guterres had a 5:45 pm photo op with the "Winners of the Annual Award of the UN Grant on Sustainable Energy" - which seems to have been funded by China Energy Fund Committee, under the heading "Powering the Future We Want."  He "canceled," photos here, but his Deputy Amina J. Mohammed was still listed giving remarks for / at the event at 1 pm, though at 5:30 pm those remarks were not on her website unlike later 2:30 pm remarks. On November 22 Inner City Press asked their spokesman Farhan Haq, who argued that the indictment is only of "Doctor Patrick Ho" personally, so it was fine to keep and go forward with CEFC's money. (He said Amina J. Mohammed did not speak.) But Ho founded and chairs CEFC, here is a photograph of Ho with UN DESA's former chief. Apparently things are more and more lax under Guterres: even Ng Lap Seng's Sun Kian Ip Foundation's money was returned. (Kutesa was also in the Ng Lap Seng case). Is the UN more hard up? The corruption is not past but current. From the UN's November 21 noon briefing transcript: Inner City Press: there was an indictment yesterday by the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York that's very… I would say… call it UN related.  A company called China Energy Fund Committee was… as alleged, funnelled $500,000 bribes to Sam Kutesa, former President of the General Assembly.  The indictment describes the meetings taking place not… on this very floor, on the second floor, setting up these bribes.  And so I have a couple of questions.  One is… and these were… these… mentioned in the indictment is the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, who is… as you know, is a mediator on the Burundi file.  So, I wanted to know, number one, after this indictment, what is the UN's office of OIOS [Office of Internal Oversight Services] doing to look at the… the… the UN persons that may… that… implicated in it?  Two, is China Energy Fund Committee still affil… accredited by ECOSOC [Economic and Social Council]?  And they seem to have a project with DESA [Department of Economic and Social Affairs], a $5 million project with DESA.  And, three, what does this mean for… for the… Mr. [Michel] Kafando's and the Secretary-General's view of the Museveni role in the Burundi mediation? Spokesman:  Well, regarding the question of Burundi mediation, obviously, he has a role separate and apart from the work of our envoy, Michel Kafando.  You just heard a briefing from Mr. Kafando yesterday about what his work is on that.  Regarding Mr. Kutesa, we don't have anything particular to say about his dealings as the Foreign Minister of Uganda.  Obviously, he has served as a General Assembly President, and we want to make sure that all officials of the UN, including the General Assembly President, abide strictly by norms avoiding corruption and bribery.  Obviously, how that is enforced is an issue for the specific Member States, so we would refer you, in this case, to the Member State of Uganda, which is responsible for Mr. Kutesa.  And regarding the CEFC that you just mentioned, yes, they have accreditation at ECOSOC.  We're checking with our colleagues in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs about the nature of their projects and what the status of that is. Inner City Press: There's a $5 million project that's online, which I guess… what I'm saying is, coming after the Ng Lap Seng/John Ashe case, it seems some sort of consonant with it.  Basically, you have a big NGO [non-governmental organization] using UN access to purchase a… if the allegations are true, a PGA [President of the General Assembly].  And so, I guess I'm wondering, from the UN side, beyond referring to the Ugandan mission or whatever else, are there any reflections, number one, on how this process… what due diligence did DESA do before… before linking up with this NGO that's clearly a subsidiary of a Chinese oil company that was paying bribes in Chad, as well? Spokesman:  "Well, the information about them paying bribes is something that's come out today.  The ECOSOC accreditation came out sometime prior to all of this.  So, that's a separate issue.  Regarding the sort of probity we expect from officials, including General Assembly presidents, of course, we know that they belong to Member States, but we want them to uphold the high standards.  This is something we made clear during John Ashe's time.  This is something we're making clear now.  And, of course, I believe my colleague Brenden will have more to say about the presidency of the General Assembly regarding this.  But, again, these are issues that the Member States themselves will need to take responsibility for.  These are officials of Member States.  These are not staff of the United Nations. " The Kutesa scam began in long meetings in the UN PGA's office on the UN's second floor - where the UN now requires investigative Inner City Press to have a minder, unlike other correspondents - between Kutesa and China-based NGO China Energy Fund Committee led by Patrick C.P. Ho. The scheme involved Kutesa naming Ho a "Special Adviser to the PGA," and hosting an NGO meeting in the UN in April 2015. Kutesa traveled as PGA to China as part of the scheme. Ho's approach was through Kutesa's chief of staff Arthur Kafeero, whom as Inner City Press exclusively reported in August 2015 Kutesa tried to plant in the UN's Department of Political Affairs. See Inner City Press scoop here; note that the UN evicted Inner City Press for its corruption coverage in early 2016 and has kept it restricted since, even as UN corruption continues, even grows. And what do the member states do? On November 20 Inner City Press asked UK Permanent Representative Matthew Rycroft about the scandal and he said, "I'll look into that and get back to you." Video here. Update (no comment, cite to SDGs, here). From the US Attorney: "HO caused a $500,000 bribe to be paid, via wires transmitted through New York, New York, to an account designated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uganda, who had recently completed his term as the President of the UN General Assembly (the “Ugandan Foreign Minister”).  HO also provided the Ugandan Foreign Minister, as well as the President of Uganda, with gifts and promises of future benefits, including offering to share the profits of a potential joint venture in Uganda involving the Energy Company and businesses owned by the families of the Ugandan Foreign Minister and the President of Uganda.  These payments and promises were made in exchange for assistance from the Ugandan Foreign Minister in obtaining business advantages for the Energy Company, including the potential acquisition of a Ugandan bank." We'll have more on this. Sam Kutesa had offshore accounts in the Seychelles, to receive funds from Enhas, a company of which despite the UN denying it to Inner City Press is listed as doing business with the UN's mission in the Congo, MONUSCO. The accounts, but not the UN / MONUSCO connection, have been revealed the leaked Appleby / Paradise Papers. Inner City Press on November 7 asked the spokesman for the President of the General Assembly about it, yielding only an answer that the current PGA is striving to make public his disclosure form but will not speak to former (or clearly, past) PGAs. Video here. But how then can the UN be said to have cleaned up after PGA John Ashe, RIP, was indicted for bribery? We'll have more on this. For now, this: it is telling that the new pro-UN book "A Worldly Affair," though copyrighted 2017, does not even mention the 2016 UN bribery scandal of former President of the General Assembly John Ashe, much less now convicted briber Ng Lap Seng. It does however praise Antonio Guterres, who came in as Secretary General in 2017, and acknowledge Maher Nasser, who moderated an event promoting the book, and shouting down the Press which asked about Ashe and Ng. Haiti is mentioned in connection with Brooklyn - diplomats living there, and "Albanians in The Bronx." It is an essentially elitist book, with a sidebar o the UN's mansion at 3 Sutton Place, bought in 1972 for Kurt Waldheim and renovated at a cost of $4.5 million for Ban Ki-moon. It derides the cheap construction of Uganda House, and laughs at the penthouse in Libya House shown by Ali "Treiki." For weeks the UN promoted its book event featuring author Pamela Hanlon. 

But when Inner City Press went and asked about the UN having brought cholera to Haiti and paid nothing, and whether Haitians in Brooklyn had been able to get any accountability from the UN, there was no answer. 

A heckler in the audience said loudly that the question was not appropriate. Video here. So Inner City Press followed up on Ms. Hanlon's statement that the land under the UN is still US territory. If so, what of John Ashe selling diplomatic posts from inside his UN General Assembly President's office, and Inner City Press for covering the scandal being thrown out onto First Avenue by eight UN Security officers? Audio here. (NYPD told Inner City Press it has no jurisdiction to take criminal complaints, even for assault, for anything east of the First Avenue curb.) 

That question wasn't answered, either, including by Penny Abeywardena, Commissioner of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Office for International Affairs. 

Instead Maher Nasser, in charge of the UN Department of Public Information for months this year said “it's always about you” and ended the event, encouraging those present to buy books for signing. Then on October 20, Nasser brought about a Kafka-esque threeat to Inner City Press' accreditation. And so it goes at the UN.

In Scandal, Yan's GSF Drew Ban & Officials to Art Event in UNGA in June, Questions

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive follow-up

UNITED NATIONS, October 19 -- Some in the UN still purport to be surprised by the indictment of 2013-14 President of the General Assembly John Ashe on charges of soliciting bribes from Macao businessmen including the Sun Kian Ip Group's Ng Lap Seng and the Global Sustainability Foundation, while using and being used by South South (which, among others, gave money to the UN Correspondents Association, more here).

But there's more, much more. Some of it happened in plain sight, in the UN Visitors' Lobby as on June 30, 2015, with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and other senior UN officials at an event sponsored by Sheri Yan's Global Sustainability Foundation called “The Transformative Power of Art.” 

  Sheri Yan has been charged with corrupting the UN, along with David Ng Lap Seng, former PGA John Ashe and former Dominican Republic Deputy Permanent Representative Frank Lorenzo; Ban's limited OIOS audit looks at Ng's Sun Kian Ip Foundation and this Global Sustainability Foundation, on which we'll have more.

  So why did GSF come to sponsor an art exhibit in the UN Visitors' Lobby and a concert in the UN General Assembly Hall, complete with a surreal, news-less press conference in the UN Press Briefing Room?  The UN put out this Note to Correspondents:

 "The official opening of 'The Transformative Power of Art,' an exhibition organized by Sam Kahamba Kutesa, President of the sixty-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly, will take place in the Visitors’ Lobby on Tuesday, 30 June, at 6 p.m. Through paintings, sculptures, papier mâché and scented dried flowers, “The Transformative Power of Art” embodies the necessity to place people at the centre of our concern while protecting the planet.  The exhibition is part of the United Nations “2015: Time for Global Action” campaign.During the ceremony, remarks will be made by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, General Assembly President Kutesa, Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information Cristina Gallach, Curator Fabrizio Ruggiero and noted Chef Babette de Rozières."

There was another formal UN statement promoting the event, along the link to photos has, perhaps understandably, been disabled. A UN Photo snapshot, with Frank Lorenzo with Ban and Kutesa and spouses, does not say GSF sponsored the event.  

What were Ban and the senior UN officials in attendance and more thinking? We'll have more on this.

On October 9, Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric about the murky ITU and Kutesa award event on which it has already exclusively reported. Dujarric said to ask the ITU. 

 Now Inner City Press has obtained the video of the September 26, 2015 event, ITU with the Global Sustainability Foundation, one of only two NGOs Ban Ki-moon has asked OIOS to audit. In the video, Sheri Yan, charged with corruption, blathers at the microphone, followed by leaders such as Bongo of Gabon, Fiji's leader, UNESCO's Bokova, until “the Honorable Kutesa” hands awards to Asian businessmen, followed by “eager children.” Inner City Press is presenting the video here:

We'll have more on this.

  Tellingly, the two UNCA-world questions about the expanding scandal consisted of “any update” and a defense of the NGOs which are being accused. Well, South South gave money to UNCA. This is part of the story - and of the non-telling of the story.

What is surprising is that it took this long for the laxness not only of Ashe but of the President of the General Assembly office's structure and UN's easy penetration by business interests to lead to this. This includesdozens of Ambassadors flown to Macau in August 2015, and senior UN officials' interactions with NGOs beyond the two belatedly named by Ban Ki-moon on October 8. Inner City Press has asked, why not South South News, which gave money to the UN Correspondents Association and got a prize from it. 

Just last month Inner City Press witnessed this event inside the UN where Kutesa gave awards to Chinese businessmen, after ITU gave some to African strongmen. Who paid for this?

  Even just looking at the Global Sustainability Foundation, it paid Ashe's successor Sam Kutesa's wife and took Kutesa to China. Ashe's chief of staff now works for Kutesa's successor as PGA, Mogens Lykketoft, who has already let his PGA Office be used as part of the campaign for fellow Dane Helle Thorning Schmidt to take over the UN's refugee agency UNHCR. 

On October 9 among five documents provided by the UN Spokesman to purportedly show that there ARE UN audits of PGA office functions or trust funds is one (A/68/628) acknowledging what must be acknowledged: that while Dujarric says the UN Secretariat has no connection to (or power to audit) over PGAs' trips, the UN Secretariat pays for “close protection detail” for the PGA on those trips.

Another, A/69/5 (Vol. 1), has a single line:

"Trust Fund in Support of the Office of the President of the General Assembly 53 483 365 171"

  That's it, for “president.” Compared to the details in the US affidavit against Ashe, it is laughable. As are the connections, South South and otherwise, with the UN Correspondents Association with which the UN partners. Simply as two examples, South South News gave money to UNCA; an UNCA president worked for South South Awards - this is the same UNCA whose president rented one of his apartments to Palitha Kohona then unilaterally granted his request, as Sri Lanka's Ambassador, to screen his government's war crimes denial film in the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium, here.

Now we can add: after South South gave money to UNCA, suddenly it was given an UNCA journalism award, such as UNCA will be doling out again in December, depending on the progress of investigation of the corruption scandal. Watch this site.

Inner City Press on October 8 asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, about who changed A/66/748 (no answer), why no answers from UNDP South South, and what the UN's and Ban's links with the South South Awards are and have been.  On the last, Dujarric blurred it with South South News. On UNDP, he said he would “share” what he read out - but two hours later neither that, nor what he called audits of PGA accounts were provided.

As on October 7, Inner City Press asked about Ashe's chief of staff now working in current PGA Lykketoft's office. Dujarric said to Ask Lykketoft. We'll see.

  Inner City Press asked point-blank for Dujarric to confirm or deny what it reported on October 6, that the UN had slated the Assistant Secretary General for Partnerships position for Ashe. He would neither confirm nor deny, saying like SG trips, it only happens when it happens. But how much is NOT happening?

   OIOS, looking into only two NGOs, does not have jurisdiction over UNDP.  Ban's report on the cover up of peacekeepers' rapes in Central African Republic was due in September, then postponed to November. Such inquiries can serve as cover ups. But the questions will continue: watch this site.

As Ban head to Peru, here was the UN's October 8 statement:

"In light of the recent accusations announced by US federal authorities, the Secretary-General is requesting that the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) launch an audit of the interaction between the United Nations and the Global Sustainability Foundation and the Sun Kian Ip Group, and the use of any funds received from these entities.

"The Secretary-General is concerned about the serious nature of the allegations, which go to the heart of the work of the United Nations and its Member States.  The Secretary-General reaffirms that there will be no tolerance for any corruption at the United Nations or in the name of the United Nations.  He is committed to ensuring that funds received from such private entities were handled properly according to relevant UN rules and regulations."

   Inner City Press on October 6 asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric about Sun Kian Ip and why the UN had sent out a press released by South-South ("NGO 1" in the indictment) as it were a UN entity. Transcript here, video here.

 On October 7, Inner City Press asked Dujarric about "UN Official 1" in the indictment, and millions that Sun Kian Ip gave the UN. Video here. Then Inner City Press asked about hold-over staff with PGA Lykketoft:

Inner City Press: Yesterday the current PGA [President of the General Assembly] did a press conference that you referred to, I don't know if it's the UN system's response or you just heard he was going to respond.  What I wanted to ask is that there are a number of people that are actually named in the indictment as having traveled with John Ashe to Macau that work in the current PGA's office.  If you actually look at the teams, they overlap quite a lot, which is not to cast aspersion on all of them, but to say, if people are referred to in the indictment, what is… he presented it as there's a total lack of continuity.  He's brand new here.  He knew nothing about it.  What steps are being taken at the UN to actually read the document and see who still works in the UN?

Spokesman:  Well, I think, as far as the PGA's office goes, I would encourage you to ask his Spokesman, which… who's down the line.

Inner City Press:  Okay.  My point, I guess the overall question I wanted to ask is, it seems clear that at least some Secretariat money goes to that office.  Some salary lines are funded by the Secretariat, and some salary lines are funded by countries, seconded staff.  I mean, I've asked him to name which but, given that Secretariat funds go there, has the PGA's office… is it subject to OIOS or board of auditors auditing, and if not, why not?

Spokesman:  I think… I can't answer you that question in detail, but I think that is a question for the PGA.  The PGA's elected by the Member States.  He is responsible to the General Assembly.  As far as authority of investigation, I will check.

Correspondent:  But if you pay the staff…

Spokesman:  I understand.

While nine hours later and counties there was no answer on that - nor written answers from the referenced “South South” UN office - here are a few of the holdover staff, including Ashe's chief of staff, named in the indictment as traveling to Macao, now still in Lykketoft's office:

Ashe's Chef de Cabinet Ambassador Paulette Bethel

Lykketoft's Special Adviser, Coordination and Engagement H.E. Paulette A. Bethel

  There are others but this one should be answered first, since she is named in the indictment as traveling to Macau. We'll have more on this.

 

  Inner City Press' continued digging finds that Sun Kian Ip Group and Ng Lap Seng in March 2015 promised $5 million a year for three years to the UN: “Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations and President of the High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation Dr. A. K. Abdul Momen, UN Secretary General’s Envoy and Director of the UN Office for South-South Cooperation Mr. Yiping Zhou and Chairman of the Sun Kian Ip Group Mr. Ng Lap Seng signed the agreement.” See here.

  The question to be pursued is obvious: what was THAT money for? Or this, described on a UN / UNDP website of August 25, 2015:

"Macau, SAR, China: 25 August – A High-level Multi-stakeholders Strategy Forum on South-South cooperation for sustainable development got off to a strong start Tuesday, with more than 200 delegates, from 50+ countries. The two-day Forum began with a opening ceremony featuring distinguished and powerful champions of South-South cooperation... This Strategy Forum is a timely opportunity to 'review, consolidate, and enhance existing instruments and institutional arrangements,' said Ambassador Denis Antoine of Grenada,on behalf of Sam Kutesa of Uganda, President of the 69th Session of the UN General Assembly."

 Inner City Press is informed that dozens of ambassadors also went to this Macau junket, where the casino owner lobbied that all future meetings of South-South Cooperation be held there. We'll have more on this.

Sources exclusively tell Inner City Press that John Ashe, whom Inner City Press saw about the UN during General Debate week, was offered an Assistant Secretary General post, for Partnerships, and that a previously scheduled Ban trip to Shanghai will now not happen. “They're hoping it blows over,” one well placed source told Inner City Press. But will it?

   At the October 6 noon briefing, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric expressed faux surprise at the number of journalists in the room. He gave the first question to Reuters, which asked a generic softball question; he said new President of the General Assembly Mogens Lykketoft would answer at 3 pm (Ban is going out of town, to Peru).

  Inner City Press asked Dujarric to confirm or deny that Ashe gave Ban Ki-moon a document about a proposed UN Macau Conference Center. Dujarric said the UN couldn't find it. Long Periscope video here with these questions near the end.

   So Inner City Press asked about another document - a press release by the “South South Awards,” which UN DPI next to Dujarric office sent to UN journalists last week. Isn't that a “non-UN” group? What is its relation with the UN?

  After Dujarric emphasized the PGA's office does not report to Ban, Inner City Press asked if Ban after seven years sees a need to more transparency, as one example, who pays the people in the PGA's office? We'll have more on this.

   During Ashe's tenure, Inner City Press covered his various failures; the example of an indigenous conference is below. But it's been similar with other PGAs, who travel around the world with little press coverage or accountability, often cutting deals.

  It's not even a full time job: as Inner City Press first reported and got confirmed, in 2014-15 Sam Kutesa remained Uganda's foreign minister, while PGA. (Kutesa tried to place his chief of staff as head of Africa 1 in the UN Department of Political Affairs, here.)

  More recently, Inner City Press has reported that current PGA Mogens Lykketoft's office has been used to lobby for the candidacy of fellow Dane Helle Thorning-Schmidt to take over the UN's refugee agency UNHCR, despite her own record as Danish PM being criticized by UNHCR.

   There are a number of business groups which use the UN -- one of them was even allowed to sponsor the annual event of Herve Ladsous' UN Peacekeeping -- and get awards, like just last week in an ITU event inside the UN. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is aware, or should be aware, of all of this, but won't even disclose who pays for his trips (Inner City Press and the new Free UN Coalition for Access haveasked).

  Apparently Ashe excused his wheeling and dealing by referring to “South South Cooperation.” While a laudable concept, Inner City Press was struck last week when Ban Ki-moon's UN Spokesperson's office sent out to journalists the news of a non-UN “South South” group at which Ashe had previously appeared. It's a murky world.

Update: an African diplomat, by the UN Security Council after publication of the above, told Inner City Press Ashe taking bribes to pitch a UN Conference Center was "not suprrising." Another said, "They're ruining the UN's name." Ruining?

  So is UN corruption a surprise? Hardly. Ashe's indictment, however, and where it leads, bear watching.

Ashe Background: On May 23, 2014, hours after the end of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the buzz at the UN was why and by whose decision the finale of the Forum was taken over by the Crimean Tatar issue.

   Many participants sympathetic to the Tatars' plight nevertheless opined that it was a misuse of the Permanent Forum. They said they had not been consulted and asked, Who decided? The chair.

  When a constituency lets their issues be taken over in the heat of the moment, it might seem strategic - and might turn out not to be. The issue of injustice to the indigenous is too serious to be a play-thing for the flavor of the month, the Free UN Coalition for Access opines.

  Nearly unanimous, however, was criticism of UN President of the General Assembly John Ashe.

Background: The failure of UN President of the General Assembly John Ashe to “show leadership” in setting up the World Conference on Indigenous People scheduled for September was strongly criticized on May 23.

For more than a week, Inner City Press had been asking indigenous leaders what they expected from PGA Ashe. Only that he implement the “modalities” already agreed to for the Conference, was the answer. One speaker, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, noted that Ashe's office had tried to blame a member state for blocking things but this wasn't true.

  But at 4 pm on May 23 in the General Assembly, when a statement was read out for Ashe, it said that “no consensus” had been reached, even on Monday's watered-down proposal, and that Ashe would be calling for another meeting next week. 

 There followed speeches of disappointment, not only from indigenous representatives but also countries: beginning with Mexico and Norway, through Denmark and Guatemala's Permanent Representative Rosenthal, heavily indigenous Bolivia, Finland, Australia and New Zealand.

 Nicaragua's deputy Permanent Representative spoke, then Sweden. Kenneth Deer called for full and equal participation. Panama spoke, and a representative of the United States, with obstructed view.

Earlier in the week Inner City Press asked Grand Chief Edward John from Western Canada about the proposed oil sands and tar sands pipelines there. He said the Harper government is expected to gives its approval. Then what?

Footnote: at these indigenous press conferences, the new Free UN Coalition for Access thanked the speakers; the old UN Correspondents Association was generally not there, except an appearance that triggers a response that Morocco is not in the African Union and therefore didn't participate in its programs. UNCA big wigs were trying a scam elsewhere, it emerged. Typical.