After Ladsous & Ban Retaliate, Whistleblower Anders Kompass Says More, Inner City Press Asks

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, January 5 -- Ban Ki-moon's tenure as UN Secretary General became embroiled in one scandal after another in 2015 -- but at his “year-end” press conference he refused to answer a Press question directly on it. Video here and embedded below. Vine here.

 On January 5, after yet more alleged rapes by UN Peacekeepers were reported in the Central African Republic, Ban's head of Peacekeeping Herve Ladsous pointedly refused an Inner City Press question about the rapes (Vine here), which by contrast the Ambassadors of New Zealand and Uruguay answered.

  On January 22, Inner City Press asked Ban's deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq about serious new charges launched by exonerated whistleblower Anders Kompass. From the UN's transcript:

Inner City Press: Mr. Kompass, who's still in the UN's employ, has read out emails he says he's received from UN staff, and they're pretty troubling.  I'll just ask you about one of them.  A UN worker wrote to Mr. Kompass saying he considered suicide after feeling “completely neglected by his superiors” when he tries to expose sex abuse in the country he's working in.  And it quotes a New York Deputy Spokesman as saying “peacekeeping does not and never will accept a culture of tolerance”.  So are these e-mails not true, that Mr. Kompass is reading out?  And if it doesn't accept a culture of tolerance, what's happened, just as one example, the four individuals, French, Gabonese, Moroccan and Burundian, named in the recent The Washington Post story about sex with 13-year-olds in CAR [Central African Republic]?  What is actually taking place with those individuals?

Deputy Spokesman Haq:  Well, in that case, we are following up.  We are following up with all the cases that have come to our attention of sexual exploitation and abuse, whether it's in the Central African Republic or elsewhere.  But, as you know, we've provided regular details about how we've been handling the situation in the Central African Republic.  More generally, in terms of the question of whether or not there is any such thing as a culture of tolerance, yes, I'll echo what that particular person said:  there isn't such a thing.  Staff members have to be able to report concerns in an atmosphere free from intimidation and fear of reprisal.  Managers for their part have an obligation to take these accusations seriously in accordance with our established policies.  The Secretary-General has made his points clear about this, that he's determined to address these issues fully and directly, and he will take action against managers who are not living up to their responsibilities.  I think he showed that in the Central African Republic with his actions last year.

Inner City Press:  when Ms. Corner briefed us, she had a one-page, single-spaced thing listing various cases.  Is there some way to know what has actually happened in those cases? That was helpful, but since then, we actually haven't heard of any discipline or accountability for the individuals, for the cases listed on that sheet.

Deputy Spokesman Haq:  Well, of course, the activity continues on all the various cases as we proceed with them and on any new cases where we have concrete evidence to act upon.  If we can get Diane Corner or someone else to brief you again, that could help out, because possibly what you would need is to have a briefing on these things periodically, so that you get updates as our own investigations proceed.

  We'll see. Back on January 18, the UN confirmed to Inner City Press that the whistleblower of the CAR rapes, Anders Kompass, has been cleared, without reference however to any reforms. Inner City Press on January 18 asked:

Inner City Press: Anders Kompass, the whistleblower in the CAR [Central African Republic] rape inquiry, has said that he received a letter from OIOS [Office of Internal Oversight Services] saying that he's been exonerated and cleared.  And he also said… this is what I wanted to ask you about… is… you know, that he doesn't understand… he said he's saddened, and it's a mystery why most of the UN leadership decided to do this to me when they know very well how badly the UN was handling these type of cases.  So, this seems to be… what do you… one, would you confirm the OIOS sent such a letter?  And, two, although he doesn't name names, he in the… in this process has named fairly high names.  What's your response to what he's saying?

Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq:  Well, regarding his case, yes, I can confirm that the Office of Internal Oversight Services has written to him, and they've confirmed that the cases against him are now closed.  And so that is where we stand on all the various cases concerning Mr. Kompass.  Regarding how we deal with these matters, as you're aware, the Secretary-General appointed a panel headed by Judge Marie Deschamps to deal exactly with that very question.  And she came out with a report, of which you are all, I think, fully informed.  You've heard what she had to say.  You've seen the report, which we have made available in its entirety, and it is now being studied for follow-up action.  So, we continue to see what we can learn from this and how we can do better.

Inner City Press:  But, has anything been… I guess… one of the things that he talks about in his interview is to say that… that he wants to make sure that other UN staff are not dissuaded from blowing the whistle.  Although he's now been cleared, it obviously was quite a process.  There was an attempt to remove him from his job, which he was only restored by the internal justice system.  Are there any steps taken to actually encourage, rather than discourage, UN staff to come forward when they're aware of the rape of children?

Deputy Spokesman Haq:  Well, certainly, the Secretary-General believes that all staff should be encouraged to come forward.  This is the purpose of all of our various newer initiatives, including, for example, the Human Rights Up Front initiative.  But, beyond that, you, yourself, just pointed out that he was cleared by the internal justice system.  And that is a sign that we hope staff take to heart, that the internal justice system does, in fact, work.  And although it is… can be a tedious process and, for the people participating in it, it can be frustrating, we have tried to make sure that the internal justice system is strengthened enough that it will come to the right conclusions as you go through the process.

  Does this really encourage or discourage UN whistleblowers? We're still waiting for that answer. But even as Ban and his spokespeople refused to answer basic questions ranging from Sri Lanka to Burundi, corruption cases to rapes, his UN Correspondents Association now known as the UN Corruption Association, having charged $6000 for seats next to Ban, continues to promote him - without questions, literally. It seems Ban will appear at UNCA on January 29.

  UNCA head Giampaolo Pioli, who tried to get the investigative Press thrown out of the UN for accurately reporting that Pioli had accepted rent money from Palitha Kohona, Sri Lanka's ambassador, then gave a "UN screening" on a war crimes denial film in the Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium, has issued this, only to those who pay UNCA money, leaked by a disgusted UNCA member:

"Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon would like to meet with UNCA members and all UN correspondents for the New Year's visit this Wednesday, Jan 6th, 2016 from 10:35 to 10:50 am in the UNCA room. It will be an opportunity for him to say a few words to all of our colleagues and to exchange his best wishes. There will not be a Q&A session but as in every year it is a great occasion to be together. Please attend."

 Well, no. Providing a rah-rah session with no Q&A is pathetic. And, "all correspondents" will not enter the UN Corruption Association, which charges money for access to Ban. January 6 was canceled, but may be set for a repeat on January 29.

 And yet, Ban should be asked, and should answer, questions such as those raised by the new rape changees in CAR, particularly now that his head of Peacekeeping has again refused to answer. We'll have more on this.

The former President of the General Assembly John Ashe and four others have been indicted, Ashe for buying documents from Ban's UN Secretariat.

Ban's envoy to Libya Bernardino Leon was exposed by leaks as having taken instructions and then a job from the United Arab Emirates.

And Ban's head of UN Peacekeeping, Herve Ladsous, is listed in UN Dispute Tribunal documents as having tried to cover up child rapes in Central African Republic by peacekeepers from his native France.

  Inner City Press, which Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric did not call on despite calling two separate times on the same UN Correspondents Association scribe, asked audibly, “Do you have any update on the John Ashe indictment? Bernardino Leon? These were major developments this year.” Vine here.

  But Ban refused to answer the question. He walked out of the briefing room, shaking hands scribes. The press conference began with Dujarric setting aside the first question for the head of UNCA, who thanked Ban for attending an event on Wall Street for which UNCA charged $6,000 to sit with Ban. This is the UN Corruption Association.

  A question on or to cover up the sexual abuse scandal was arranged, with Agence France Presse congratulating Ban for this response to the sexual abuse scandal. (Senegalese Babacar Gaye was urged to resign, Ladsous who on camera linked the rapes to “R&R," video here, remains in place.)

Ban read out a wan answer on Burundi; his deputy spokeperson refused an Inner City Press question on Burundi at the previous day's noon briefing.  We'll have more on this.

Ban once promised monthly press conference but his last one was three months before, then nine months before that. On September 16 with the UN being less than successful in mediating in Yemen and Libya, Syria and South Sudan, accused of rapes in Central African Republic and killing 8,000 in Haiti with cholera (after 40,000 died in Sri Lanka with little response from the UN), Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was asked, What is your legacy?

  That question, nor none of the other 11 Ban's spokesman Stephane Dujarric selected, did not refer to the rape scandal, much less deadly cholera or the Sri Lanka report released earlier in the day in Geneva, after months of delay and supposed concern by Ban.

  Inner City Press asked, before the press conference ended and then again before Ban left the room, “Anything on Sri Lanka?” But there was nothing. Ban's spokesman Dujarric didn't even allow Inner City Press to put a question to UN Peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous, who covered up rapes in DR Congo, Darfur and now CAR.

  Most recently, Ladsous linked rapes to a lack of “R&R,” rest and relaxation, video here.

Dujarric himself cut off Inner City Press questions on what Ladsous said, and declined to answer on Reddit in an “Ask Me Anything.” (He didn't say he's ANSWER everything, one wag pointed out.)

  But even beyond the scandals, Ban did not in his opening statement mention Somalia, or CAR, or Darfur; none of the questions selected by Dujarric was about Africa. (One wire points out Africa was part of a UN-at-70 question; noted.)

    Inner City Press also tried to ask about Burundi -- nothing - and South Sudan, on which we are preparing a story.

  It was Voice of America with the “What is your legacy” question. Ban said he'd answer next year. Inner City Press might answer sooner. Watch this site.