By Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon
BBC - Guardian UK - Honduras - ESPN
UN GATE, Feb 13 – How corrupt has the UN become under Antonio Guterres? Well, its supposed investigative arm, the Office of Internal Oversight Services, claims it didn't tell Guterres that his close ally Fabrizio Hochschild, even while twice promoted, was subject of a sexual harassment investigation.
In fact, leaked audio published by Inner City Press shows OIOS' Ben Swanson did tell Guterres - and then dropped the investigation. Likewise, OIOS never acting on information provided to it about those who ordered UN DSS "Security" official Roland E. Dobbins to stalk, rough up and oust Inner City Press, here.
Now, this: David Kanja of OIOS, petitioned in detail about improprieties of Irina Bokova who still holds a "dollar a year" position with UNESCO, has stonewalled and said OIOS has no jurisdiction, see below. Guterres has untold dollar a year hangs-on, most recently Mike Bloomberg. So these can misuse the UN's tattered name, with impunity? Under Guterres, yes. We hope to have more on this case:
From: OIOS Hotline Date: Thu, Feb 11, 2021 at 8:46 AM Subject: Re: Allegation Report and Request for Investigation Irina Bokova and Kalin Mitev
Thank you for your additional email dated 07 February 2021 to the Investigations Division, Office of Internal Oversight Services (ID/OIOS). Your report has been carefully reviewed. Unfortunately, the subject of your complaint falls outside the mandate of ID/OIOS, which deals with misconduct matters involving UN staff and resources. As such, we are unable to assist in your query. Thank you and best regards. Investigations Division/OIOS
Sent: Sunday, February 7, 2021 4:21 PM To: OIOS Hotline Subject: Re: Allegation Report and Request for Investigation Irina Bokova and Kalin Mitev
Dear Mr. Kanja, Thank you for acknowledging receipt of my letter below. I appreciate your swift response and request for further clarifications. I hope the below responses sufficiently address your questions. Details of the identity or source from where you “received multiple reports of misconduct and wrongdoings.” The people that brought these allegations to my attention prefer to remain unknown. Hence, I am not at liberty to share the names of the individuals who brought these serious allegations to my attention. It is my understanding that Information received from anonymous sources can be assessed by the OIOS and may lead to an investigation. There human rights activists have been disbursing their outcry on social media by using #DontBeBokova #IrinaBokova #UNFraud to independently verify the anonymous reports that include sufficient detail to corroborate the reported information.
Details of how Ms. Irina Bokova and her husband Mr. Kalin Mitev are “currently affiliated with UNESCO” or any UN body. According to the information that is circulating on social media and articles of various news and investigative reporting agencies, Ms. Bokova has been appointed as an Advisor to the current Director-General of UNESCO and is employed in that role on a $1 Consultancy contract. I assume this should not be difficult for your Office to verify and get confirmation from UNESCO or the common UN HR Management database. The fact that she is employed at any capacity – remunerated or non-remunerated, makes her case under the mandate of OIOS for further perusal. In this connection, it would also be important to examine whether Ms. Bokova’s recruitment to that role has undergone the existing recruitment process and whether other candidates have been considered for that role, particularly other female non-European candidates. Specific details identifying the misconduct implicating a UN staff member and each of your allegations. Please refer to my letter and the cited online materials that provide excessive information that your office needs to launch an investigation. Hypothetically and while not enjoying such a mandate, if my association were to conduct a full investigation, we would not resort to the specific UN body that is mandated to conduct such an investigation. My role and that of the concerned public is to direct our concerns to the very body that is mandated and supported by the public and their governments to receive the information and carry out verification, fact-checking, investigation, and reporting. Any alleged misconduct and/or wrongdoing of an Under-Secretary-General of any of the United Nations Agency or Program should be reported to the OIOS, situated within the Secretariat of the United Nations. At this point, I have taken the required steps to describe and channel these serious accusations on behalf of the public and have shared the references with the right body for further review and investigation. For transparency and accountability purposes these allegations are being shared with the relevant offices and authorities of UNESCO donors that have the responsibility to their constituents and the mandate to investigate and report.
On Wed, Feb 3, 2021 at 6:35 AM OIOS Hotline Thank you for your report to the Investigations Division, Office of Internal Oversight Services (ID/OIOS) dated 30 January 2021. ID/OIOS, deals with misconduct matters involving UN staff and resources. I respectfully request some more information as it is not clear to me if this this matter falls inside the mandate of ID/OIOS, and I would like to be able to assess the information adequately so that I can process it appropriately. If you could please provide to us, by 10 February 2021, additional information including the following: Details of the identity or source from where you “received multiple reports of misconduct and wrongdoings” Details of how Ms. Irina Bokova and her husband Mr. Kalin Mitev are “currently affiliated with UNESCO” or any UN body Specific details identifying the misconduct implicating a UN staff member and each of your allegations Specific details of how Ms. Irina Bokova is involved with this specific misconduct Any supporting documentation. In your response, be sure to mention that you are following up on a request for additional information. Please note that if we do not receive a response by the indicated date above, a final decision on the matter will be based on available information. Please be assured that under the protection of confidentiality to those who make reports or suggestions to ID/OIOS, as provided in our mandate in ST/SGB/273 (7 September 1994), we will not disclose that you reported the information unless we obtain your consent to do so. Best regards, Investigations Division/OIOS
From:
Sent: Saturday, January 30, 2021 11:14 PM To: OIOS Hotline oioshotline [at] un.org
Subject: Allegation Report and Request for Investigation Irina Bokova and Kalin Mitev
Dear Mr. David Kanja, I have received multiple reports of misconduct and wrongdoings, allegedly perpetrated by the former (2009-2017) UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova and her husband Kalin Mitev, currently affiliated with UNESCO under uncommon and questionable conditions, mandate and privileges.
The reports have resulted in an outrage among the affected persons, communities, human rights & anti-corruption activists groups and watchdogs as well as investigative reporters.
I am concerned about the allegations and the ability of the UN system and its agencies in investigation, reporting and transparent execution of punitive, restorative and preventive measures. Below are the list of issues that has generated the outrage and the mistrust: 1. During Irina Bokova’s tenure at UNESCO, her husband Kalin Mitrev received at a minimum €425,000 in Bulgarian and Swiss accounts from Hilux, Polux and Metastar, the core companies that power the Azerbaijani Laundromat[1].
Mitrev told OCCRP that the payments were for consultancy work from May 2011 to April 2014 with Avuar-Co LLC, a Baku-based company, which “was working with the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Azerbaijan on a major government program for the mitigation and prevention of the disastrous floods in the Kura-Aras river basin.” He told he did not know why he was paid via Metastar, Hilux and Polux but referred reporters to a representative of Avuar-Co., who wrote in an email that the above-mentioned three offshore companies had debts to his company and that he used these debts to pay Mitrev for his services. Later, the mentioned representative of Avuar-Co. denied any knowledge of the flood project and said he did not send the emails.
2. Bokova has reportedly maintained a very close, friendly relationship with the Aliyevs. She was a regular guest in Baku and in 2010, and bestowed a UNESCO honor, the Mozart medal, on Mehriban Aliyeva, Azerbaijan’s first lady and the First Vice President. The Aliyevs have been generous in return, and in July 2013, UNESCO announced that Azerbaijan would donate US$ 5 million to the organization, as part of a cooperation agreement signed by Bokova in the presence of Aliyeva.
3. On 22 October 2013, UNESCO hosted a photo exhibition called “Azerbaijan – Land of Tolerance” at its Paris headquarters at the request of a foundation chaired by Aliyeva. Three days later, the bank records show Mitrev was paid €20,000. The following month, Bokova joined Aliyeva at the same exhibition’s opening at the Azerbaijani Cultural Center in Paris. In the context of Bokova’s participation in the exhibition and by doing so ‘endorsement’ of Azerbaijan as land of tolerance, it is noteworthy that Azerbaijan over the course of years committed the worst cultural genocide of the 21st century, with its erasure of the Armenian cultural heritage in Nakhichevan (89 Armenian churches, 5,840 khachkars/cross-stones, and 22,000 tombstones), including the destruction of tens of thousands of UNESCO-protected ancient stone carvings, i.e. “khachkars” (source: Monumental loss: Azerbaijan and 'the worst cultural genocide of the 21st century' | Art and design | The Guardian[2]).
Bokova, instead of addressing the terrible cultural genocide committed by Azerbaijan, stayed silent about such acts of vandalism and engaged is a questionable cooperation with Azerbaijan’s President and the First Lady. 4. According to an investigation of an OCCRP partner center, Irina Bokova owns $4.7 million in properties across London, Paris and New York, despite an estimated family income in recent years of only $2.7 million. Bokova’s husband Mitrev’s involvement in the Azerbaijani Laundromat scheme as a recipient raises a number of questions regarding the couple’s property wealth, which is not proportionate to their family income.
5. Among UNESCO’s controversial handouts during Ms. Bokova’s reign are sending funds to kleptocratic African dictators, e.g. in 2010 announcing an international prize in the name of Equatorial Guinea’s brutal dictator Teodoro Obiang Nguema, who encourages rumors that he eats the flesh of their enemies. (source: Bokova vs. Associated Newsletters[3]).
6. UNESCO's current Director General Audrey Azoulay awarded her predecessor Irina Bokova a "dollar a year" UN system consultancy, which comes with extensive UN privileges. Bokova "advised senior management on various aspects of UNESCO programs" and "conducted missions to organize meetings, conferences and consultations" until the end of November 2018. Knowing the facts and allegations listed above, this arrangement consultancy gives Bokova access to UN privileges, staff, donors and networks and ability to advise/influence key decisions that like in the past may unjustly and deceptively serve to the benefit of Irina Bokova and Kalin Mitrev's friends, clients and acquaintances.
I request a thorough and transparent investigation, reporting, as well as corrective and restorative actions. If these allegations are true, Mrs. Bokova and Mr. Mitev should not have access to Un system and must be listed in the appropriate lists preventing their access to institutions and businesses that have zero tolerance for unethical business conduct....
[2] Monumental Loss
[3] Bokova vs. Associated Newsletters
Your support means a lot. As little as $5 a month helps keep us going and grants you access to exclusive bonus material on our Patreon page. Click here to become a patron.
