With UN Briber CEFC Still In UN ECOSOC, Czech Connection UNveiled by Inner City Press

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video, Q&A, HK here

UNITED NATIONS, March 18 – Four months after the arrest for UN bribery of Patrick Ho, the head of China Energy Fund Committee full funded by CEFC China Energy, his ultimate boss at CEFC Ye Jianming was brought in for questioning in China. Then management and day to day operations of CEFC were reportedly taken over by the Shanghai city government's investment arm, Shanghai Guosheng Group Company. At the UN, Inner City Press asked if this meant that its fundee could not longer be in special consultative status to UN ECOSOC; this has not been answered. In fact, as HRW, CPJ and UN official Andrew Gilmour critiqued ECOSOC on March 16, this corruption was not mentioned. 

Now Inner City Press makes this connection: the president of ECOSOC is Marie Chatardová, Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the UN. Her president, in Prague Castle, is Miloš Zeman -- who, like Uganda's Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa when he was UN President of the General Assembly, made Ye Jianming an official adviser. Tellingly, Zeman has sent two officials to Chinese to inquire into the status or, or help, Ye Jianming: chancellor Vratislav Mynár and economic advisor Martin Nejedlý have flown to Shanghai. Under Ye Jianming, CEFC bought up Czech soccer league champions FK Slavia Praha, two luxury hotels and even a stake in seven regional breweries. 

 Inner City Press has repeatedly written to the Czech Mission to the UN, to the attention of  Marie Chatardová as President of ECOSOC, asking how China Energy Fund Committee given all of the above can remain in special consultative status with ECOSOC. The Mission, like Antonio Guterres' Secretariat's spokesperson for ECOSOC, has refused to answer. As to the Czech Republic, the reason for inaction and stonewalling of the Press may now be clear - alongside Antonio Guterres' Secretariat. We'll have more on this.

Nor was the UN even mentioned in the New York Times' story about CEFC - Kutesa was, but not that he was PGA. This is propaganda. This comes while the UN, embroiled in a second corruption case involving Ng Lap Seng whose assistant Jeffrey Yim was sentenced to seven months in prison on February 28 (Inner City Press coverage here), has yet to even remove CEFC from its "special consultative status" to the UN Economic and Social Council. Now with the Chinese government taking action, for whatever its reason, will the UN belatedly move? Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric on March 1, video here, UN transcript here: Inner City Press: this China Energy Fund Committee (CEFC) case, the head of the whole organization in China has been called in for questioning, Mr. Ye Jianming.  And I wanted to know, because it seems like since that indictment in November, China Energy Fund Committee has remained with special consultative status… Spokesman:  We've… I've answered that question already.  That is an issue… the Member States… a Member State committee grants that special consultative status to the NGO.  That Member State committee needs to act if they want to withdraw that status. Inner City Press: António Guterres is the head of the UN system.  Does he have… does he have… has he taken note that there are two separate developing UN corruption cases involving briberies taking place at the UN and what’s his response…? Spokesman:  We're very much aware of the issue and our legal counsel… our legal office is cooperating on these cases with the national authorities." We'll have more on this claim. Tellingly, Reuters which barely covers the UN corruption cases - in fact, it has a board seat on the UN Correspondents Association which accepted $50,000 from Ng Lap Seng's South South News - "reports" on the question of  Ye Jianming and CEFC's business in the Czech Republic, Russia (last year's deal for a 14 percent stake in  Rosneft PJSC for $9 billion) and Kazakhstan without even MENTIONING the indictment of Ho of CEFC, and the clear reference to Ye Jianming in the indictment, in connection with Sam Kutesa and the Uganda scheme. We'll have more on this. Ho was denied bail on February 5, in a lengthy oral order that found the weight of evidence against him substantial. On November 20, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York issued an indictment against the head of the UN ECOSOC accredited China Energy Fund Committee (CEFC) Patrick Ho and former Senegal foreign minister Cheikh Gadio,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, since 2005, allegedly for the benefit of President Yoweri Museveni. On February 5, Inner City Press asked the UN Spokesman why CEFC is still in "special consultative status" with ECOSOC, transcript here (video here) and below, than ran to the courthouse. There, US District Court Judge Katherine Forrest asked Prosecutor Daniel C. Richenthal to describe the weight of the evidence. "How strong is your case?" she asked, to some laughter. Very strong, he said, adding that Ho has been emailing the "Shanghai-based Energy Company" (that would be CEFC China Energy) from MCC detention, to launch a public relations campaign. It may be backfiring: Judge Forrest in her ruling denying bail noted that if Chinese government press is describing the case as political, it would make fleeing and remaining in China all the easier. Richenthal said that Ho could travel to other places - he listed Chad, Uganda, Iran and Russia. The continued home detention of UN bribery convictee was raised by Richenthal and Judge Forrest, and not favorably. Gadio was alluded to as not yet indicted - he'd said to be talking about a plea - and Judge Forrest emphasized November 5 as the trial date. She said there was leave to re-apply for bail but said such an application should include what Ho's lawyer Mr Kim called the "context" of the payments. Kim said they including country-wide charitable and military aid. From a Chinese energy company? From the UN's February 5 transcript: Inner City Press: Patrick Ho, who is the head of the China Energy Fund Committee, is arguing again for bail today.  And the US, in opposing it, put it in writing that they've executed a search warrant at China Energy Fund Committee, the NGO's (non-governmental organization) offices in Virginia.  It seems the China Energy Fund Committee is still in special consultative status with ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) even as its offices are being raided and… and its head is in jail.  What are the procedures for… for…? Spokesman:  As far as I'm aware… you know, the consultative status of ECOSOC, as opposed to the DPI (Department of Public Information) status, is one that is managed by the Member States.  There is a committee of ECOSOC that is made up of Member States.  They give… they grant or deny consultative status to various NGOs.  I think we'll have to look… you can contact ECOSOC to see what the exact rules are, but my assumption would be that, if Member States grant, only Member States can take away." So, Guterres is doing nothing. On February 6, after another non-response by ECOSOC's chair, Inner City Press asked Guterres' and Dujarric's Deputy Farhan Haq, video here, UN transcript here: Inner City Press:  yesterday, the… Patrick Ho, the head of the China Energy Fund Committee here, was denied bail.  And in the… in the hearing, basically, the prosecution said and the judge said that she found weight to be given to the evidence that basically the NGO [non-governmental organization] was a front for bribery to Sam Kutesa and others.  So, given that… how this trial is going, I'm wondering, again, Stéphane [Dujarric] had said that the Secretariat plays no role in sort of following through and making sure that China Energy Fund Committee can't continue to say it's a… in special consultative status with ECOSOC [Economic and Social Council].  I've written to the ECOSOC chair now twice, 28 November 2017 and today, but I don't have anything back.  Is there any spokesperson for ECOSOC that can at least say what the process is? Deputy Spokesman:  There is a spokesperson for the President of the Economic and Social [Council], and I can give you that contact afterwards. Inner City Press: Because… because Brenden… oh.  Yeah.  Anyways, I'd written before to that same individual, and there was no response.  I'm just… guess I'm wondering, what is their… what is the… does the Secretary-General… given that trial that's now moving forward and what's coming out in it, does he believe in the same way that he has… asserting himself as to agencies on other issues, that he should maybe get involved to ensure that there's not a… a named briber saying that they're in consultative status with the UN? Deputy Spokesman:  "Well, UN bodies themselves have been dealing with the problems created by the China Energy Fund Committee in their own ways, but what you're talking about is consultative status that's granted by Member States through the Economic and Social Council, and that decision would have to be taken by Member States." Then Inner City Press emailed the alluded to spokesman, one Paul Simon. Hours later, nothing. In advance of the February 5, the prosecution in writing asserted that "since the Complaint was signed and Ho was arrested, the evidence of his guilt has only become stronger, as the Government has interviewed witnesses, executed search warrants (including for the Virginia office of the Energy NGO), and obtained documents from third parties." Tellingly, this Energy NGO, China Energy Fund Committee, is *still* in special consultative status with the UN's Economic and Social Council - and Guterres met with Uganda's Museveni, who is in the complaint, at the same AU summit where Guterres metSudan's Omar al Bashir, without issuing any read-out. 

In Sri Lanka, UN Feltman Ends Trip, Statement Here, Restrictions on Social Media UNmentioned

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, March 11 – The UN did little during the killing of Tamils in Sri Lanka in 2009. Then the UN even accepted a military leader implicated in the mass killing, Shavendra Silva, as a Senior UN Adviser on Peacekeeping. On 5 March 2018, Inner City Press asked long time UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, Inner City Press: Now that you've announced this Jeffrey Feltman visit to Sri Lanka, is it fair to say… there's been wildly reported mass violence against Muslims there, a state of emergency declared, and supposedly, the police standing by as mosques and Muslim businesses were burned.  Is this something… what's the relationship between his trip and that?  And do you expect him to address this problem? Spokesman:  "Well, the trip… his trip was obviously planned before the recent state of emergency." 

And now that it is over, on March 11 the UN released this canned summary, which does not mention restrictions on social media: "On March 11, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman concluded a three-day visit to Sri Lanka. His trip was planned as part of the ongoing strong engagement between the Government and people of Sri Lanka and the United Nations.
Under-Secretary-General Feltman met with President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe, Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya, Foreign Minister Tilak Marapana, as well as other political leaders and cabinet and government officials. He also appreciated the opportunity to compare notes with members of Sri Lanka’s diverse civil society, human rights representatives, and the diplomatic corps. Noting the recent appointment of Commissioners, Under-Secretary-General Feltman expressed hope that the Office of Missing Persons will soon be fully operational to help answer questions that haunt too many families from all across Sri Lanka about their missing loved ones. He also commended the Parliament’s recent adoption of the Bill for the Protection Against Enforced Disappearances as an important element of the Sri Lankan government’s commitment to its citizens. He underscored the importance of accelerating momentum on other initiatives, including regarding the constitution, truth and reconciliation, reparations, and counter terrorism, in line with the Government’s promise to strengthen the country’s democratic principles and practices. He expressed concern that many elements of the Government’s visionary 2015 program seem stalled, despite their importance to sustainable peace, security and prosperity in Sri Lanka, and he appreciated the reassurances from Government leaders of their intention to move forward. He encouraged the Government to communicate their actions and timelines for reforms to the Sri Lankan people.  Regarding the recent communal violence, the Under-Secretary-General condemned the breakdown in law and order and the attacks against Muslims and their property. On behalf of the United Nations, he offered condolences to those affected. In that context, he met with Muslim political and civil society leaders to express concern and show solidarity. He urged swift and full implementation of the Government’s commitment to bring the perpetrators of the violence and hate speech to justice, to take measures to prevent recurrence, and to enforce non-discriminatory rule of law." Back on March 5, Inner City Press continued: Inner City Press: And just one… on Mr. Feltman, it seems that this is his final month.  Is there… can you describe the process, if not names?  Or do you expect to have an officer in charge?  What's the current thinking in terms of DPA [Department of Political Affairs]? Spokesman:  The current thinking is that the process is ongoing.  If there is someone in time to take his post, then the person will be there in time.  If there isn't, as there always is, when there is an administrative vacuum of leadership, there will be an officer in charge to ensure that the vacuum is filled. Inner City Press: And that would be Mr. Jenca? Spokesman:  Let's get… cross that bridge when we cross it if we ever… or when we get to it." Back on 8 November 2017, Inner City Press asked UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric about torture that has continued since. UN transcriptbelow. On November 29 the UN in Geneva announced, "A three-member delegation from the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention will carry out an official visit to Sri Lanka from 4 to 15 December 2017 to assess the country’s situation regarding the deprivation of liberty. José Antonio Guevara Bermúdez, Leigh Toomey and Elina Steinerte will visit a variety of places where people are held, including prisons, police stations and institutions for juveniles, migrants and people with psychosocial disabilities, to gather first-hand information which will form part of their overall assessment. The delegation will visit Colombo as well as western, north-central, northern, eastern, southern and central provinces, where they will meet Government officials, civil society groups and other relevant stakeholders.

The experts will share their preliminary observations at a press conference on 15 December 2017 at 14:00 local time at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 07. Access will be strictly limited to journalists. The Working Group will present its final report on the visit to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2018." From the UN's November 8 transcript: Inner City Press:  torture in Sri Lanka.  They've interviewed 50 individuals who were applying for asylum who give detailed accounts of being tortured under the current, not past, Government of Sri Lanka and saying that the military itself was involved.  So, I'm wondering, one, if there's any reaction given the UN's involvement in the situation in Sri Lanka but also, given that the UN is increasingly using Sri Lankan troops in UN peacekeeping, what… what do you… when… when detailed allegations like this come forward, what does the UN do to ensure that the very people who may have been engaged in torture…Spokesman:  As a matter of course, there is screening done in partnership with DPKO [Department of Peacekeeping Operations] and DFS [Department of Field Support] on ensuring that none of the troops that are committed to UN peacekeeping have any human rights abuses, allegations or issues hanging over their head.  So, that's a screening process. Inner City Press: Do they self-certify?  Or, given that these are new allegations published today… 50 people were interviewed…Spokesman:  I'm sure that our… my colleagues upstairs are taking these things into account." We're not at all sure. On October 23, Pablo de Greiff, Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, said delays in the implementation of commitments undermined trust and raised questions about the Government’s determination to undertake a comprehensive transitional justice program. "These delays contribute to the further politicization of discussions on transitional justice," he said. The UN should know - even before the killings of 2009, the IPKF killed Tamil civilians - and one UN connection involves Ban Ki-moon's son in law, whom he made the UN's resident coordinator in Kenya. This UN Resident Coordinator, like the previous one in Cameroon, even as Inner City Press reports on the Kenyan elections, blocks it on Twitter and deploys proxies; now this blocking has been picked up on October 20 by the UN's Department of Public Information deputy Maher Nasser, who used DPI to that day threat Inner City Press' accreditation. There were appreciated protests when the UN did this in 2016. 

On North Korea - Trump Talks, UN Belatedly Comments and Takes Credit, McMaster Not On Formal Program

By Matthew Russell Lee, Full Exclusive, Video

UNITED NATIONS, March 9 – On the North Korea - Trump talks by May announced on March 8, it's said US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster is going to brief the UN Security Council on Monday, March 12. But by mid-morning on March 9, this was not listed on the Security Council's online Program of Work. So Inner City Press asked the Dutch President of the Council for the month, who told Inner City Press he has been invited to a meeting with McMaster but for more to ask the US. 

Meanwhile, when UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres belatedly commented 17 hours after the announcement, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric went on to link to the slated talks the earlier visit to Pyongyang by outgoing UN Department of Political Affairs chief Jeffrey Feltman. But is the connection? And when Feltman leaves on March 31, who will the US put in, particularly given developments on and in North Korea? Watch this site. Back on March 8, half an hour after South Korean officialChung Eui-yong announced at the White House that US President Trump will meet North Korea's Kim Jong Un by May, Inner City Press after informing the UN's Department of Public Information sought reaction from Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Since, despite Inner City Press' request, all UN Department of Public Information minders had left for the day, Inner City Press retreated to the Conference Building where a Chinese opera, as it happens, was taking place. But when Guterres and his entourage came off the elevator, Inner City Press approached, at the same time as one of Guterres' female Assistant SGs he'd met with. Guterres, chatting with a youth, ignored even her. Video here. Did he know the news? Inner City Press followed up by Twitter: nothing. This is today's UN.  Two cars were at the ready, and two security officers faced Inner City Press. (One said that yet a third officer "wanted to file a complaint against your story," here). There was the sound of opera, and down the hall a painting of Ban Ki-moon, who accomplished nothing on the issue in ten years. It was the UN. The next morning, still nothing from Guterres. Finally after 17 hours, this canned statement from his spokesman: "The Secretary-General is encouraged by the announcement of an agreement between the United States and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to hold a summit meeting by May. He commends the leadership and vision of all concerned and reiterates his support for all efforts towards peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions." And now re-emerge reports about North Korea "state actors" hacking the UN's Panel of Experts and its members. But the reports fail to mention that UN Secretary General and his outgoing head of Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman allowed into the UN's own Department of Political Affairs a North Korean state actor, the son of a Workers Party official. (Inner City Press exclusively reported the name,  Kim Joo Song). If UN DPA, in charge of the sanctions committees' panels of experts, let a sanctioned countries state actor in as a staff member / junior professional officer, how surprising is it? The worst is that is wasn't idealistic multilateralism that led to the hire, DPA whistleblowers tell Inner City Press, but rather Guterres' vain desire to see himself in Pyongyang, a diplomatic victory at last as he ignores the suffering in places like western Cameroon. In the face of North Korea sanctions, the UN in December 2017 used the sanctioned Foreign Trade Bank and Russia's Sputnik Bank to release EUR 3,974,920.62 into the country, documents obtained by Inner City Press and exclusively published on February 21 show. On February 21, Inner City Press asked the Dutch chair of the UN Security Council's 1718 Sanctions committee about the exemption. He refused to comment, saying the issue did not come up in the meeting he had just exited. Video here, but see below. Now amid renewed focus in the lead up to the belated release of the UN Panel of Experts report, the Washington Post has done a deep dive into North Korea's laundering of coal: " The Togolese-flagged Yu Yuan and the Panamanian-flagged Sky Angel, both Chinese owned, were among two separate sets of cargo vessels that passed in and out of Kholmsk harbor in late summer and early fall of last year, carrying coal that at least partly originated in North Korean mines" - and ended up, the report goes on, in South Korea and Japan. This while Japanese media, particularly those ostensibly most hard line, go soft not only on the UN (see below) but also on Japan's own Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi, which turned a blind computer eye to business with North Korea, then fled the New York regulator while being investigated, see below. Also now amid renewed focus on Sisi's Egypt as purchaser and selling-place for North Korean weapons, US President Donald J. Trump on March 4 spoke with Sisi, and the US issued this, without even a mention with North Korea: "President Donald J. Trump spoke today with President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi of Egypt.  President Trump and President Al Sisi discussed opportunities to enhance the American-Egyptian partnership on a range of security and economic issues.  The leaders discussed Russia and Iran’s irresponsible support of the Assad regime’s brutal attacks against innocent civilians.  President Trump and President Al Sisi agreed to work together on ending the humanitarian crisis in Syria and achieving Arab unity and security in the region." And not the 30,000 RPGs? A new light is cast on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' "very very warm regards" for Sisi this week, in a credentialing ceremony which Guterres' close protection ordered Inner City Press to stop recording, here.  Thirty thousand rocket propelled grenades could generally quite a bit of warmth - the last Panel of Experts report cited "the Jie Shun, a vessel commanded by a Democratic People’s Republic of Korea captain that was en route from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea towards the Suez Canal. A search revealed a cargo containing 30,000 PG-7 rocket propelled grenades and related subcomponents in wooden crates concealed under about 2,300 tonnes of limonite." In terms of Guterres' Lusophone world, the last PoE report said that "at the time of the Panel’s visit [to Angola], 12 nationals of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea were providing martial arts and parade ground training. The Panel informed Angolan agencies that continuation of the training would constitute a violation of paragraph 9 of resolution 2270 (2016), which clarified the prohibition on the hosting of personnel from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for security force training, established under resolution 1874... the Panel enquired with the Government of Angola as to whether they had departed the country. The Panel has yet to receive a reply." The new report has yet to go on the Committee's website. On March 2, before the silence procedure expired on the United States' request to add to the sanctions list 27 companies, one individual and 33 ships, silence was broken by China and the listing did not proceed. This as the UN has held off sanctioning Chinese banks like China Merchants Bank, and China Construction Bank Corporation, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and Agricultural Bank of China for their business with Dandong Hongxiang Industrial Development. But how will it, and the UN more generally be covered going forward? Day to day those most interested in the UN's 1718 committee are Japanese media. While certainly predisposed to reporting on any moves by China, less scrutiny is given to the UN itself. Perhaps this is because of Japan's long and unrequited desire for a permanent seat on the Security Council, pursued without effect by playing nice with the UN. Consider a recent profile of Secretary General Antonio Guterres by the Sankei Shimbun, casting Guterres and more decisive than his predecessor Ban Ki-moon. One, that's not saying much. Two, along the same lines, Ban at least audited the Ng Lap Seng UN bribery case, something Guterres has yet to do with the larger China Energy Fund Committee / CEFCChina Energy UN bribery scandal, with the company now taken over by the Shanghai government. Three, the combative or defensive approach to China is mirrored by one by South Korea, particularly as that country refuses to give up on the issue of comfort women used by Japan in World War II. Notably, the misogyny is replicated in the microcosm of the United Nations. The same publication has had its #MeToo moments, in and out of Manhattan (female correspondents it is said are not allowed to have children during their deployments); local hires regardless of years of effective service are threatened with termination for not immediately dropping their young children. As the law has evolved in the United States that could of course be turned around. We'll have more on this - and on this: on March 2 a spokesperson for the chair of the Committee told Inner City Press, "As chair of 1718 committee we cannot comment on internal committee issues." Inner City Press has asked why the delegation, president of the Security Council for March, doesn't have a public schedule and read-outs, like the President of the General Assembly does. We'll have more on this. Meanwhile a complaint to the Committee by Japan about a Maldives flagged ship Xin Yuan 18 has drawn return fire from the embattled government of President Yameen: "No such vessel is registered in the country," his Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Wednesday. 'Further we condemn, in the strongest possible terms, the use of our National Flag in a manner so as to tarnish the good standing and reputation of our nation and that of our people. The Maldivian authorities do not allow flag of convenience to foreign owned vessels to operate outside Maldivian waters,' the statement added. The Government of Maldives gives high priority to the implementation of all resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, including the Resolutions on Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). The Administration is currently investigating the matter and wishes to make clear that the Maldives will pursue aggressive action against any such acts which affects the National Identity in such a detrimental manner." Inner City Press has asked the chairmanship if Maldives has formally responded to the Committee; separately, the Panel of Experts' report is due on March 14, photo here. Japan said that 'at midnight on February 24, 2018, a P-3C aircraft of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Fleet Air Wing 1 P-3C : Kanoya) found that Chon Ma San, North Korean-flagged tanker, was lying alongside Xin Yuan 18, Maldivian-flagged tanker, on the high sea (around 250 km eastern offshore of Shanghai ) in the East China Sea. Judging from the fact that the two vessels lay alongside each other with their lights turned on at night, both vessels could have been engaged in some type of activity. Following a comprehensive assessment, the Government of Japan strongly suspects that they conducted ship-to-ship transfers banned by UNSCR." Meanwhile in the matter Inner City Press is exclusively pursuing, a letter from Sputnik Bank stated that "unauthorized person (I.V. Tonkih) led  negotiations with Korean party on interbank correspondent relationship." Photos here, more documents in PDF now published on Patreon, here. On February 22, Inner City Press asked UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric about how Sputnik Bank, given its admission, was selected, and then additional questions in writing, below - which Dujarric would not answer or confirm. Video here.

From the UN transcript: Inner City Press: I wanted to ask you quickly about a thing in North Korea.  I've learned yesterday and published the documents of a waiver sought by the UN system, he UN Resident Coordinator, Tapan Mishra. To use a, some say little-known, but, in any case, not a prominent Russian bank as a correspondent bank to send €4 million into North Korea in December.  And I wanted to know, first of all, how is the bank… there's a document that's… that's part of the request that shows that the Russian bank acknowledges that an unauthorized person even negotiated the correspondent bank relationship.  How does the UN system choose which correspondent bank to use?  And is this comment… is this… it seemed like they presented this as an emergency for third-quarter disbursements of 4 million euros into North Korea…Spokesman:  Listen, I don't know the details of the agreement.  What I do know is that the UN operates, has humanitarian presence and has a presence in Pyongyang.  We abide… the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea], as you know, is under very strict sanctions from the Security Council, which include issues of the banking sector.  We do need to get money to pay staff and to run our programmes.  I think it's only normal that we go through the Sanctions Committee to get the waivers.  We don't want to be… obviously, the Secretariat doesn't want to be in violation of Security Council resolutions.  To say that dealing with the banking sector in terms of banks that are willing to do business legitimately in the DPRK is challenging would probably be an understatement.  But whatever rules there are, I have no doubt that they were followed. Inner City Press:  So, simple question, is this… is this put out… is there a procurement for this?  I'm asking you because there's some questions about how the bank was selected even from… their own documents acknowledge some irregularities.  So how… can you look? Spokesman:  As I said, I don't have further details.  I can look into it, but I know we're working in a very challenging environment in trying to follow the rules and regulations to the 'T.'"  To the T? Inner City Press has also aske in writing, "Please state the total of funds the UN system (including specifically the agencies named in the Resident Coordinator's request) transferred in 2017 to DPRK, including total for program use (development assistance) and total for UN use (maintenance, local salaries, etc). When was the last audit of UN activities in North Korea / DPRK done? There will be more." In 2017 then-chairman of the UN Security Council's 1718 / North Korea sanctions committee Sebastiano Cardi of Italy informed Sputnik Bank to release the nearly EUR 4 million to the Foreign Trade Bank - the very entity for dealing with Latvia's ABLV Bank has been sanctioned by the United States. 

   Previously, Cardi by letter had, according to UN Resient Coordinator Tapan Mishra, neglected to "make clear reference to the need for cash withdrawal." The Treasurer of the UN Development Program Paul Gravanese then asked Cardi for wider authorization for FTB to withdraw funds. This only concerned the third quarter of 2017 - what has been done since? The new chairman declined to say. 

  Others say, the UN has fixed nothing, sweeps everything uner the rug.  Earlier this month when Inner City Press asked if the Committee's rulings on request for exemptions, and the underlying requests themselves, are placed on the Committee's website or otherwise made public. The answer was and is no.  Inner City Press will have more in this exclusive series. Media paid to cover the UN too often let it off the hook, on issues from North Korea to UN corruption to most recently automatic weapons. The UN has been the venue for bribes paid from Macau based operative Ng Lap Seng and now Patrick Ho of the China Energy Fund Committee - but on February 13 in the same basement the North Korea sanctions committee meets in the UN allowed an Indonesia based weapons company to advertise not only machine guns and drones but even tanks inside the UN. Periscope videohere. But when the Japanese media paid to cover the UN belatedly chime in on gun control, like Sankei Shimbun's Mayu Uetsuka here, they ignored the UN's total failure in even advertising guns after the Florida shooting. They could have covered it, and still could; their Mr Tatsuya Kato in South Korea, whom Inner City Press supported here and here, and also in Sankei, proves there is something to support on a free Press basis. But. As the North Korea UN sanctions "experts" report continues to be cherry picked further and further down the food chain, now that North Korea paid its 2017 UN dues by means of a swap is also ignored, like the recent report focused on coal, pointing the finger at Vietnam, Russia, China, Vietnam and South Korea. Omitted, apparently intentionally, are violations by Japanese companies, like Bank of Tokyo Mitsubishi, as Inner City Press has reported. It is facts chucked or thrown, rather than fact checked.

Cameroon, Togo and Gabon Not Seen By Human Rights Watch As Top 90 Problems, Inner City Press Is Told

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video

UNITED NATIONS, March 6 – The crackdown in Cameroon by 36-year government of Paul Biya was raised in the March 6 press conference at the UN on children and armed conflict, by Inner City Press. The panelist from Human Rights Watch, which omitted Cameroon, Gabon and Togo and some others from its 2018 "World" report and then refused to explain it, was Jo Becker, so Inner City Press asked about the omission from HRW's report. 

She said that HRW has to decide where to spend the resources it receives, and apparently didn't see Cameroon as among the 90 countries meriting a look in their "World" report, nor Gabon or Togo. Video here.

To make sure the question was not misunderstood, given the answer, Inner City Press waited as others from who had skipped the press conference came in to ask questions, then showed Ms. Becker the report. She said she had understood the question. (She did not explain why "Ashley" who answered for HRW Press never returned with this answer, nor put Inner City Press back on HRW's mailing lists). So who makes these decisions for Human Rights Watch? 

HRW has refused to provide any read-outs of the issues it raises to Guterres. Guterres is himself far from transparent. On February 28 his close protection ordered Inner City Press to stop recording, in a photo op session in which Guterres conveyed his "very very warm regards" to Egypt's Sisi. Guterres' Secretariat has assigned Inner City Press' long time UN work space to a no-show Sisi state media, Akhbar al Yom. (HRW's UN lobbying previous lobbied Guterres' spokesman to throw Inner City Press out of the UN, then got his leaked complaint to the UN removed from Google Search by mis-characterizing it as copyrighted).

Exclusive: UN Environment Pays EUR 500,000 For Role in Volvo Ocean Races, For Dee Caffari To Show Up

By Matthew Russell Lee, Exclusive, Patreon doc

UNITED NATIONS, March 2 – Even on the environment, the UN's last refuge as it fails under Antonio Guterres on conflict prevention and anti-corruption, the UN is in decay. UN Environment, the re-branded UNEP, is paying over EUR 500,000 in a (reverse) corporate partnership with Volvo Ocean Races, see below. Guterres' deputy Amina J. Mohammed has refused Press questions since November on her role in signing 4000 certificates to export from Nigeria and Cameroon endangered rosewood already in China. Guterres, Mohammed and Alison Smale's only response has been to censor and continue to restrict the Press which asks, despite 5000 signature petition, UNanswered. 

Now whistleblowers in UNEP have written to Guterres, and exclusively sent a copy and documents to Inner City Press on UNEP mis management, harassment and misuse of government resources. Who authorized UNEP to spend EUR 500,000 in a mis-named corporate partnership with Volvo Ocean Races? Before today publishing the documents, Innr City Press on March 1 asked Guterres' spokesman Stephane Dujarric about it, videohere, UN transcript here: and below. Dujarric did not explain, then or for the rest of the day; he said he hadn't spoken with Guterres about it. Oh. Inner City Press is today publishing in full, on Scribd and Patreon, the agreement with Volvo Ocean Races signed by Erik Solheim,here, and the EUR 500,000 agreement signed by UNEP's Lisa Emilia Svensson, here and here. This UN agency is paying for "public appearances by Dee Caffari and the crew" -- Ms. Caffari is a British sailor -- and for "hospitality activities." It's a new low. From the March 1 UN transcript: Inner City Press: I also wanted to ask you about UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme).   Whistleblowers there have alleged a number of irregularities, but the one that caught my eye and I've published has to do with the allegation is that UNEP, which claims under Mr. [Erik] Solheim to have a number of corporate partnerships is, in fact, in some cases paying the corporation for the partnership.  I.e., it's not a partnership like, you know, Barcelona Football Club with UNICEF, where they pay.  In this case, they're alleged that, under Mr. Solheim, the UN Environment, as it's now called, is paying $500,000 to Volvo Ocean Races.  And I wanted to know is it… one, I don't know if it's true, but they work there and they have a lot of names and a lot of information. Spokesman:  I think you can ask those questions directly of UNEP.  I have no doubt that Mr. Solheim is operating and running the agency in accordance to all relevant rules and regulations. Inner City Press: Did the Secretary-General receive this e-mail?  Because it was sent out as a cri de coeur of the people who work there, saying… Spokesman:  I have not spoken to him about it." Why not? Here's from what Solheim as written: "Dear colleagues, You may have received or heard about an anonymous email sent to me this week and copied to many. It consists of slander, rumors and false allegations. Worse, the message contains unfounded attacks on many good colleagues working hard for UN Environment. This is unacceptable. We must strive for openness."

As UN Guterres Met Egypt's PR and Gave Warm Regards to Sisi, UN Told ICP Not To Film

By Matthew Russell Lee, Photos, Periscope

UNITED NATIONS, February 28 – When UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres met Egypt's new Ambassador Mohamed Fathi Ahmed Edrees on February 28, Inner City Press went through the UN's tourist entrance and then UN Security on the 37th floor to cover it. Still, before Guterres expressed his warm regards for Sisi, who is arresting all opponents, the UN Security officer who has already checked Inner City Press' microphone told it it could not record audio. This is censorship, and it is ongoing - they have not answered a petition with thousands of signatures. Meanwhile Guterres and his Global Communicator Alison Smale have purported to assign Inner City Press' long time UN work space to Sisi's no show state media, Sanaa Youssef of Akhbar al Yom. We'll have more on this. Six days before when Guterres met Ecuador's Vice President María Alejandra Vicuña on February 22 it was supposed to be at 11:50 am. But another Inner City Press arrived half an hour before, by the time it was allowed in at 11:44 am the meeting was already underway. There was no handshake, and  the Press was quickly ushered out. With Guterres was a single UN staffer: Katrin Hett. On the elevator down from the 38th floor, UN Department of Political Affairs deputy Miroslav Jenca was just arriving, and UN Photo missed the shot again. This is a pattern. The evening before on February 21 when Guterres met Cote d'Ivoire foreign minister Marcel Amon-Tanoh on February 21, Guterres changed the time twice. First from 5 pm to 6:40 pm - for this, notice was provided - and then without notice moving it up to 6:34 pm such that both the Ivorian photographer and even UN Photo missed it. It seems Guterres is only interested in accommodating those who can help him - he has been happy, for example, to have the investigative Press restricted for his entire tenure, with no explanation of what the rules are. No show state media in, investigative press, through the tourist entrance, minders required. This is "Big Tony's" United Nations, do as I say, not as I do. Big shots are getting over with sexual harassment, while directives go to underlings. The Global Communicator Alison Smale, censor in chief, is involved. At the February 21, restricted Inner City Press was the only media which asked any questions, on Justin Forsyth multiple abuser, now at UNICEF, about mis-statements about immunity in India, another no-answer on Tanzania. The only media asking, and the only media restricted by Guterres and Smale. We'll have more on this. Amon-Tanoh, by the way, spoke well in the Security Council, before having the time(s) changed. Present on the UN side were Katrin Hett and Khassim Diagne, who's said Paul Biya is doing a good job in Cameroon - when Biya's been in Geneva for four and a half years, cumulatively. We'll have more on this. Back on February 2 when Guterres before his multiple junkets met Qatar's Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, he had with him his outgoing head of Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman. (Inner City Press exclusively reported on January 25, in connection with Feltman's US replacement in the post, Dina Powell, here. Now some say Powell turned the post down, as so many have, under Big Tony.) The Qatari minister joked that his Ambassador told him Feltman was back from an interesting place - presumably a reference to North Korea, where Feltman wants to score Guterres a high level meeting, perhaps with Kim Jong Un, in connection with having accepted as a UN Junior Professional Officer in his Department the son of a DPRK Workers Party official. 

UN Bribery Company CEFC Now Probed in China, While UN Keeps It In ECOSOC, Reuters Ignores

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video, Q&A, HK here

UNITED NATIONS, March 1 – Three months after the arrest for UN bribery of Patrick Ho, the head of China Energy Fund Committee full funded by CEFC China Energy, his ultimate boss at CEFC Ye Jianming has reportedly been brought in for questioning in China. This comes while the UN, embroiled in a second corruption case involving Ng Lap Seng whose assistant Jeffrey Yim was sentenced to seven months in prison on February 28 (Inner City Press coverage here), has yet to even remove CEFC from its "special consultative status" to the UN Economic and Social Council. Now with the Chinese government taking action, for whatever its reason, will the UN belatedly move? Tellingly, Reuters which barely covers the UN corruption cases - in fact, it has a board seat on the UN Correspondents Association which accepted $50,000 from Ng Lap Seng's South South News - "reports" on the question of  Ye Jianming and CEFC's business in the Czech Republic, Russia and Kazakhstanwithout even MENTIONING the indictment of Ho of CEFC, and the clear reference to Ye Jianming in the indictment, in connection with Sam Kutesa and the Uganda scheme. We'll have more on this. 

Ho was denied bail on February 5, in a lengthy oral order that found the weight of evidence against him substantial. On November 20, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York issued an indictment against the head of the UN ECOSOC accredited China Energy Fund Committee (CEFC) Patrick Ho and former Senegal foreign minister Cheikh Gadio,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, since 2005, allegedly for the benefit of President Yoweri Museveni. On February 5, Inner City Press asked the UN Spokesman why CEFC is still in "special consultative status" with ECOSOC, transcript here (video here) and below, than ran to the courthouse. There, US District Court Judge Katherine Forrest asked Prosecutor Daniel C. Richenthal to describe the weight of the evidence. "How strong is your case?" she asked, to some laughter. Very strong, he said, adding that Ho has been emailing the "Shanghai-based Energy Company" (that would be CEFC China Energy) from MCC detention, to launch a public relations campaign. It may be backfiring: Judge Forrest in her ruling denying bail noted that if Chinese government press is describing the case as political, it would make fleeing and remaining in China all the easier. Richenthal said that Ho could travel to other places - he listed Chad, Uganda, Iran and Russia. The continued home detention of UN bribery convictee was raised by Richenthal and Judge Forrest, and not favorably. Gadio was alluded to as not yet indicted - he'd said to be talking about a plea - and Judge Forrest emphasized November 5 as the trial date. She said there was leave to re-apply for bail but said such an application should include what Ho's lawyer Mr Kim called the "context" of the payments. Kim said they including country-wide charitable and military aid. From a Chinese energy company? From the UN's February 5 transcript: Inner City Press: Patrick Ho, who is the head of the China Energy Fund Committee, is arguing again for bail today.  And the US, in opposing it, put it in writing that they've executed a search warrant at China Energy Fund Committee, the NGO's (non-governmental organization) offices in Virginia.  It seems the China Energy Fund Committee is still in special consultative status with ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) even as its offices are being raided and… and its head is in jail.  What are the procedures for… for…? Spokesman:  As far as I'm aware… you know, the consultative status of ECOSOC, as opposed to the DPI (Department of Public Information) status, is one that is managed by the Member States.  There is a committee of ECOSOC that is made up of Member States.  They give… they grant or deny consultative status to various NGOs.  I think we'll have to look… you can contact ECOSOC to see what the exact rules are, but my assumption would be that, if Member States grant, only Member States can take away." So, Guterres is doing nothing. On February 6, after another non-response by ECOSOC's chair, Inner City Press asked Guterres' and Dujarric's Deputy Farhan Haq, video here, UN transcript here: Inner City Press:  yesterday, the… Patrick Ho, the head of the China Energy Fund Committee here, was denied bail.  And in the… in the hearing, basically, the prosecution said and the judge said that she found weight to be given to the evidence that basically the NGO [non-governmental organization] was a front for bribery to Sam Kutesa and others.  So, given that… how this trial is going, I'm wondering, again, Stéphane [Dujarric] had said that the Secretariat plays no role in sort of following through and making sure that China Energy Fund Committee can't continue to say it's a… in special consultative status with ECOSOC [Economic and Social Council].  I've written to the ECOSOC chair now twice, 28 November 2017 and today, but I don't have anything back.  Is there any spokesperson for ECOSOC that can at least say what the process is? Deputy Spokesman:  There is a spokesperson for the President of the Economic and Social [Council], and I can give you that contact afterwards. Inner City Press: Because… because Brenden… oh.  Yeah.  Anyways, I'd written before to that same individual, and there was no response.  I'm just… guess I'm wondering, what is their… what is the… does the Secretary-General… given that trial that's now moving forward and what's coming out in it, does he believe in the same way that he has… asserting himself as to agencies on other issues, that he should maybe get involved to ensure that there's not a… a named briber saying that they're in consultative status with the UN? Deputy Spokesman:  "Well, UN bodies themselves have been dealing with the problems created by the China Energy Fund Committee in their own ways, but what you're talking about is consultative status that's granted by Member States through the Economic and Social Council, and that decision would have to be taken by Member States." Then Inner City Press emailed the alluded to spokesman, one Paul Simon. Hours later, nothing. In advance of the February 5, the prosecution in writing asserted that "since the Complaint was signed and Ho was arrested, the evidence of his guilt has only become stronger, as the Government has interviewed witnesses, executed search warrants (including for the Virginia office of the Energy NGO), and obtained documents from third parties." Tellingly, this Energy NGO, China Energy Fund Committee, is *still* in special consultative status with the UN's Economic and Social Council - and Guterres met with Uganda's Museveni, who is in the complaint, at the same AU summit where Guterres metSudan's Omar al Bashir, without issuing any read-out. The prosecution's letter cites 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 (who is the Ugandan Foreign Minister’s relative), with gifts and promises of future benefits, including offering to let both officials share in the profits of a potential joint venture in Uganda involving the Energy Company and the officials’ family businesses." On January 27, after belatedly dropping CEFC from the UN Global Compact, Guterres in Addis Ababa met Museveni, with Kutesa himself in Addis as well. Museveni tweeted a photo and read out -- "Met UN Secretary General @antonioguterres on the sidelines of the 30th AU Ordinary Summit in Addis Ababa. We discussed regional peace, UN reforms and support for refugees." Meanwhile, consistent his declining transparency, Guterres did not issue any read out. Did the UN bribery scandal come up? Or get further covered up? As Inner City Press pursues this story and others, Guterres and his "Global Communicator" Alison Smale, seen January 26 in South Carolina praising a Chinese airline while mis-allocating funds meant for Kiswahili radio, keep Inner City Press more restricted in the UN than no-show state media. This is censorship for corruption. 

In 1st UN Bribery Case, Ng's Yin Gets 7 Months in Prison, 2nd Diplomat Helped Terra Trading

By Matthew Russell Lee, Video, Q&A, HK here

UNITED NATIONS, February 28 – Seven months after the UN bribery convictions of Macau-based businessman Ng Lap Seng, his assistant Jeffrey Yin on February 28 wassentenced to seven months in prison. Duringthe two hour sentencing argument, repeated reference was made to Yin's role in wiring money from Ng's Chinese bank to Terra Trading in Francis Lorenzo's Dominican Republic. As Inner City Press reported, El Salvador's Ambassador Carlos Garcia wrote a letter supporting the now clearly corruption transfer - and yet he is still involved in UN "Sustainable Development Goals" circles. 

According to the narrative of Yin's lawyer Sabrina Shroff, Yin only went to work for Ng's son in order to be closer to his own father, incarcerated by the Chinese government. Ng "poached" Yin from his son, and ordered him to arrange the wire transfers, and pay $20,000 in cash in a bag in Manhattan. As exposed in the Southern District of New York, the UN is a place that can be bought, and cheap - and then evicts and restricts the Press which covers it. See 9 minute video, in front of the courthouse before and after the sentencing here. Prosecutor Daniel Richenthal appeared understandably frustrated with Judge Vernon Broderick backtracking even on his sentencing to prison, after he already let Ng Lap Seng remain on house arrest even after conviction. More follow up at the UNreformed UN is needed. Inner City Press, which covered the Ng UN bribery scandal, got evicted from the UN for its troubles and is still restricted, asked long time UN Spokesman Stephane Dujarric about Yin, Ng and the case on February 28: has ANYONE in the UN system been held accountable? Dujarric replied that those guilty of a crime were found guilty in court. But that is because of the UN's immunity, which it uses even now on sexual harassment charges in India, as it did for bringing cholera to Haiti. If anything, the UN is becoming more corrupt (see the Patrick Ho / CEFC case, below), and more willing to engage in targeted censorship of the investigative Press. As to Ng, his request for a meeting with consular officials of the People's Republic of China was largely granted. Even post-conviction, Ng is living in a luxury apartment a block from the UN, where he's received massages four to ten hours a day. The "Guidepost" guards he pays at first let him close the door and ate the masseuse's cooking; now the judge has said the door should be open. And this October 25 order, granting Ng's "request to meet with Mr. Yang
Zerui and Mr. Ma Chao in the presence of Defendant’s bilingual counsel, Ms. Xue Huang, is APPROVED, insofar as Mr. Yang Zerui and Mr. Ma Chao are appropriately accredited consular officers from the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China. To the extent there is a question concerning whether or not Mr. Yang Zerui and/or Mr. Ma Chao are appropriately accredited consular officers from the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China, prior to such meeting, Defendant’s counsel must obtain and provide to the Government written confirmation from the United States Department of State or other appropriate authority of the consular credentials of Mr. Yang and Mr. Ma.  IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that Defendant’s counsel must report any untoward discussions to the Court and report anything related to a possible violation of bail to the Court, the government and the Guidepost security team. " Right. A stated reason for the consular visit is to discussion the conditions of his detention, as well as "possible legal and diplomatic issues
raised in the case related to China." Meanwhile Inner City Press, which covered the trial (and was evicted from and remains restricted in the UN for pursuing still unacted on UN aspects of the bribery) has replied to the Freedom of Information Act response seeking to hinder its and the public's access to additional UN-related documents. Yet there is obstruction and delay at every turn in getting UN-related documents about this bribery case. Why? We'll have more on this. How corrupt and UNresponsive is the UN? Days after the indictment of UN President of the General Assembly John Ashe and Ng Lap Seng, Bangladesh's then-Ambassador Abdul Monem fled the US. As Inner City Press reported, Monem was involved in the scandal. He not only attended Ng's Macau event in August 2015 - after that, on September 6, 2015, Monem "urgently" emailed Francis Lorenzo who has pleaded guilty to ask how to insert the Macau "outcome" into a GA resolution. So he fled the US. And yet on September 28, 2017, as photographed by still-restricted Inner City Press, Abdul Monem was back in the UN, in the Security Council no less, for the open meeting on the Rohingya of Myanmar. On the morning of October 2, Inner City Press asked the UN's top three spokespeople, in writing: "In the recent UNSC open meeting on Myanmar, former Bangladesh Ambassador Abdul Monem, who left the US within days of the indictment of Ashe, Ng and Francis Lorenzo, reappeared. Given what came out during the Ng Lap Seng prosecution, please state whether this former Permanent Representative kept his UN ID badge to access UNHQ or was newly credentialed, and separately what follow up the UN (OLA or OIOS) is making on what was exposed during the Ng Lap Seng prosecution. Requesting all answers by email, on deadline. Please confirm receipt." No answer. In the new / next UN bribery case, indictee Patrick Ho was denied bail on February 5, in a lengthy oral order that found the weight of evidence against him substantial. On November 20, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York issued an indictment against the head of the UN ECOSOC accredited China Energy Fund Committee (CEFC) Patrick Ho and former Senegal foreign minister Cheikh Gadio, 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, since 2005, allegedly for the benefit of President Yoweri Museveni. On February 5, Inner City Press asked the UN Spokesman why CEFC is still in "special consultative status" with ECOSOC, transcript here (video here) and below, than ran to the courthouse. There, US District Court Judge Katherine Forrest asked Prosecutor Daniel C. Richenthal to describe the weight of the evidence. "How strong is your case?" she asked, to some laughter. Very strong, he said, adding that Ho has been emailing the "Shanghai-based Energy Company" (that would be CEFC China Energy) from MCC detention, to launch a public relations campaign. It may be backfiring: Judge Forrest in her ruling denying bail noted that if Chinese government press is describing the case as political, it would make fleeing and remaining in China all the easier. Richenthal said that Ho could travel to other places - he listed Chad, Uganda, Iran and Russia. The continued home detention of UN bribery convictee was raised by Richenthal and Judge Forrest, and not favorably. Gadio was alluded to as not yet indicted - he'd said to be talking about a plea - and Judge Forrest emphasized November 5 as the trial date. She said there was leave to re-apply for bail but said such an application should include what Ho's lawyer Mr Kim called the "context" of the payments. Kim said they including country-wide charitable and military aid. From a Chinese energy company? From the UN's February 5 transcript: Inner City Press: Patrick Ho, who is the head of the China Energy Fund Committee, is arguing again for bail today.  And the US, in opposing it, put it in writing that they've executed a search warrant at China Energy Fund Committee, the NGO's (non-governmental organization) offices in Virginia.  It seems the China Energy Fund Committee is still in special consultative status with ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) even as its offices are being raided and… and its head is in jail.  What are the procedures for… for…? Spokesman:  As far as I'm aware… you know, the consultative status of ECOSOC, as opposed to the DPI (Department of Public Information) status, is one that is managed by the Member States.  There is a committee of ECOSOC that is made up of Member States.  They give… they grant or deny consultative status to various NGOs.  I think we'll have to look… you can contact ECOSOC to see what the exact rules are, but my assumption would be that, if Member States grant, only Member States can take away." So, Guterres is doing nothing. On February 6, after another non-response by ECOSOC's chair, Inner City Press asked Guterres' and Dujarric's Deputy Farhan Haq, video here, UN transcript here: Inner City Press:  yesterday, the… Patrick Ho, the head of the China Energy Fund Committee here, was denied bail.  And in the… in the hearing, basically, the prosecution said and the judge said that she found weight to be given to the evidence that basically the NGO [non-governmental organization] was a front for bribery to Sam Kutesa and others.  So, given that… how this trial is going, I'm wondering, again, Stéphane [Dujarric] had said that the Secretariat plays no role in sort of following through and making sure that China Energy Fund Committee can't continue to say it's a… in special consultative status with ECOSOC [Economic and Social Council].  I've written to the ECOSOC chair now twice, 28 November 2017 and today, but I don't have anything back.  Is there any spokesperson for ECOSOC that can at least say what the process is? Deputy Spokesman:  There is a spokesperson for the President of the Economic and Social [Council], and I can give you that contact afterwards. Inner City Press: Because… because Brenden… oh.  Yeah.  Anyways, I'd written before to that same individual, and there was no response.  I'm just… guess I'm wondering, what is their… what is the… does the Secretary-General… given that trial that's now moving forward and what's coming out in it, does he believe in the same way that he has… asserting himself as to agencies on other issues, that he should maybe get involved to ensure that there's not a… a named briber saying that they're in consultative status with the UN? Deputy Spokesman:  "Well, UN bodies themselves have been dealing with the problems created by the China Energy Fund Committee in their own ways, but what you're talking about is consultative status that's granted by Member States through the Economic and Social Council, and that decision would have to be taken by Member States." Then Inner City Press emailed the alluded to spokesman, one Paul Simon. Hours later, nothing. In advance of the February 5, the prosecution in writing asserted that "since the Complaint was signed and Ho was arrested, the evidence of his guilt has only become stronger, as the Government has interviewed witnesses, executed search warrants (including for the Virginia office of the Energy NGO), and obtained documents from third parties." Tellingly, this Energy NGO, China Energy Fund Committee, is *still* in special consultative status with the UN's Economic and Social Council - and Guterres met with Uganda's Museveni, who is in the complaint, at the same AU summit where Guterres metSudan's Omar al Bashir, without issuing any read-out. The prosecution's letter cites 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 (who is the Ugandan Foreign Minister’s relative), with gifts and promises of future benefits, including offering to let both officials share in the profits of a potential joint venture in Uganda involving the Energy Company and the officials’ family businesses." On January 27, after belatedly dropping CEFC from the UN Global Compact, Guterres in Addis Ababa met Museveni, with Kutesa himself in Addis as well. Museveni tweeted a photo and read out -- "Met UN Secretary General @antonioguterres on the sidelines of the 30th AU Ordinary Summit in Addis Ababa. We discussed regional peace, UN reforms and support for refugees." Meanwhile, consistent his declining transparency, Guterres did not issue any read out. Did the UN bribery scandal come up? Or get further covered up? As Inner City Press pursues this story and others, Guterres and his "Global Communicator" Alison Smale, seen January 26 in South Carolina praising a Chinese airline while mis-allocating funds meant for Kiswahili radio, keep Inner City Press more restricted in the UN than no-show state media. This is censorship for corruption.