At the UN, Official Sent to Rebut Scandal Declines Lockheed Martin Contract Questions, Confirms Andrew Toh Job Offer

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/paemasri121907.html

UNITED NATIONS, December 19 -- The UN turned off its briefing room cameras before making available on Wednesday a person who insisted on being called "a senior UN official" to address charges of corruption and procurement irregularities in connection with UN peacekeeping operations. This person then repeatedly said that he could not defend or explain the UN's $250 million no-bid contract with Lockheed Martin's Pacific Architects & Engineers, but that he would ask his boss, Jane Holl Lute of the Department of Field Support, to come and give a briefing. "We are completely transparent," said the official who insisted on anonymity and said he was unable to answer. Inner City Press asked if DFS would make available at least part of its response to questions raised in the UN's Fifth (budget) Committee about the PAE contract. "It's not in our province to give it out," the official said. "They own the information now."

But a check with delegates to the Fifth Committee on Wednesday night found that they still did not have relevant information about the sole source contracts. "That's the main sticking point," one delegate told Inner City Press, before heading back down to the meeting in the UN's basement.

The purpose of the noontime background briefing, it appears, was to minimize recent reports of corruption. $610 million has not been wasted, the official emphasized. Rather, contracts worth $610 million have been impacted by irregularities. It is impossible to say how much money was lost. As to Abdul Karim Masri's reported extortion in connection with a Congo airfields renovation -- PAE has the UN's Congo airfields contract -- the official said that Masri's supervisor, Barbara Klopp, has reported irregularities by her staff to the Office of Internal Oversight Services in 2005 and 2006. "Barbara... is now with another mission," he said (sources say it's in Sudan).

On the situation of Andrew Toh, Inner City Press asked the second senior UN official, reputed to soon be retiring, about reports that Toh has been asked to work for DFS. That's true, the first official said. He had been asked to go work in the field, but "he has health problems, and so we are working up terms of reference for him to work at headquarters." We'll see.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/paemasri121907.html

Behind Tuesday's UN Corruption Story, Kid-Gloves on Americans, Lockheed's No-Bid Contract

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/ptfmasri121807.html

UNITED NATIONS, December 18 -- UN corruption was ostensibly the topic of a story in the Washington Post on Tuesday, focused on charges by the UN Procurement Task Force including against efforts by midlevel staffer Abdul Karim "Masri to solicit a kickback from a construction executive on a $5.5 million contract to refurbish an airfield in eastern Congo." The timing of the story is not unrelated, it seems, to the questioning of continued funding for the PTF by Singapore and other developing countries, who have demanded to see the PTF's results. Tuesday morning, the U.S. mission let it be known that they'd like to answer questions about the report.

This desire to speak was particularly welcome given the US Mission's lack of public comment on questions raised, here and in the Fifth (budget) Committee, about the UN's $250 million no-bid contract with U.S.-based military contractor Lockheed Martin, through its Pacific Architects & Engineer (PAE) unit, for peacekeeping infrastructure in Darfur. In fact, PAE has been identified as overcharging the UN, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, for airfield services and repair -- the type of work for which Mr. Masri allegedly sought a bribe.

A well-placed source with whom Inner City Press spoke about Tuesday's article indicates that Masri's supervisor was an American, Barbara Jean Klopp, and that in an earlier account, Masri was quoted as saying, "I need money for my boss." But neither the PTF nor the Washington Post mention Ms. Klopp, much less Lockheed's PAE and its irregularities in the Congo. Notably, Ms. Klopp is now said to be among those handling procurement in Darfur, where Lockheed got its no-bid contract.

Inner City Press on Tuesday asked U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, as transcribed by the U.S. Mission:

Inner City Press: "on The Washington Post article. One of the irregularities alleged is in the Congo and one of their - actually, a company with irregularities in the Congo is this U.S.-based Pacific Architectural Engineer, airfield services which now has the Darfur contract. I guess what I'm wondering is, do you feel in - as these issues are pursued, could there be more transparency in how this company got the Darfur contract? And are you willing to follow these - you know, these leads, whatever the companies - whatever country the companies are based in?"

Ambassador Khalilzad: "Well, I think that the investigation should get to the bottom of the charges that have been made, and appropriate action has to be taken. I don't want to get into any specific companies, but as a general principle, we support very much, as I said, a transparent, open, effective and efficient process. And when there are allegations of misconduct or wrongdoing, they need to be investigated to the full extent of the law."

While Amb. Khalilzad's response to Inner City Press' question was alchemized into a story by Reuters, it appears he dodged the question, and the U.S. Mission misspelled Pacific Architects and Engineers as " Pacific Architectural Engineer." Maybe that's why they've gotten away with it so far... Watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/ptfmasri121807.html