Amid UN80 Murky UN Dispute Tribunal Alleged by Staff to Inner City Press

Amid UN80 Murky UN Dispute Tribunal Alleged by Staff to Inner City Press by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack UN GATE, March 22– How corrupt is today's UN under Antonio Guterres? Now with Guterres bloviating without live stream in Japan after a long vacation, his staff tell Inner City Press things have hit a new low about which his spokespeople Stephane Dujarric and Melissa Fleming refuse all Press questions. Inner City Press has asked them, and others, about the newest sex abuse case against the UN. This, from a UN whistleblower sent to Inner City Press: Dear Matthew Russell Lee,  Within the United Nations internal justice system, each tier operates under its own procedural framework. In 2026, the United Nations Dispute Tribunal (UNDT) has issued and published 23 judgments. In contrast, the United Nations Appeals Tribunal (UNAT) has published none. As reflected on its official webpage, no decisions have been posted to date.  This lack of publication raises serious concerns regarding transparency and accountability. At a minimum, judgments should be publicly available in a timely manner. Where delays occur, the Tribunal must clearly explain the reasons. The absence of any published judgments is not acceptable in a system that is expected to uphold the rule of law and institutional credibility.    Martha Helena Lopez, the Secretary-General’s senior advisor on human resources, has become emblematic of this “don’t care” policy. Observers note she looks fatigued, more focused on retirement than on strengthening governance. Rather than engaging with tribunal rulings, she and her team have defaulted to what staff now mockingly call “phone-call directives,” issuing guidance over the phone without regard to established precedent or proper review.  In New York, staff have started referring to her and her legal colleagues as “phone-call officers and advisors” because of their casual approach to matters of grave consequence. In response it is said, "the first UNAT appeals for 2026 from the March session will be published in the coming weeks"- but see, for example, SDNY Judge Rakoff on March 23 asking USCIS why it can't, like US courts, publish decisions within minutes. He's given them a week. And the UN?  Guterres, they say, should end censorship. Application was made on June 19, 2025 and denied without explanation on January 12, 2026. Watch this site. *** 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. Feedback: Editorial [at] innercitypress.com Mail: Box 130222, Chinatown Station, NY NY 10013 Reporter's mobile (and weekends): 718-716-3540 Other, earlier Inner City Press are listed here, and some are available in the ProQuest service, and now on Lexis-Nexis.  Copyright 2006-2026 Inner City Press, Inc. To request reprint or other permission, e-contact Editorial [at] innercitypress.com