By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 22 --
Some say, with
reason, that
the UN was too
weak
in Srbrenica,
in Rwanda and
now with its
observers
fleeing Syria.
But
Ban Ki-moon's
report to the
General
Assembly on
misconduct and
criminal
behavior
paints a
picture of
violence and
threats in the
UN,
with armrests
torn off
chairs,
firings based
on gun
threats,
physical
assaults with
pipes. Here
are excerpts:
23.
A staff member
physically
assaulted
another staff
member by
detaching
an armrest
from an office
chair and
throwing it at
the other
staff
member’s face,
resulting in
injury to the
staff member’s
right
eye and
forehead.
Disposition:
Dismissal.
Appeal: None.
24.
A staff member
physically
assaulted
another staff
member by
hitting
the other
staff member
in the head
with a metal
pipe,
resulting in
injuries to
the staff
member’s head.
Disposition:
Dismissal.
Appeal: None.
26.
A staff member
on three
occasions
acted in a
verbally
disrespectful
and disruptive
manner by
arguing with
colleagues and
supervisors;
on
one occasion
the staff
member
destroyed
property
during an
argument;
on two
occasions the
staff member
made
threatening
remarks about
the
use of guns in
the workplace.
The staff
member
admitted the
conduct
with regard to
the first two
incidents and
apologized to
the persons
involved.
Disposition:
Separation
from service
with
compensation
in
lieu of notice
and with
termination
indemnity.
Appeal: None.
Having
seen how the
UN conducts
its
interviews,
some of these
admission may
be dubious.
But the
descriptions
continue, with
sexual
exploitation:
"A
staff member
attempted to
obtain sexual
favors from a
job applicant,
who was a
beneficiary of
assistance, in
return for
offering to
provide
assistance
with the
United Nations
recruitment
process. The
staff member
falsely
suggested to
the applicant
that there was
a
problem with
the
application
form, and
invited the
applicant to
the
staff member’s
residence to
review the
application.
In the context
of the
invitation to
the applicant,
the staff
member made
sexually
suggestive
remarks.
Disposition:
Separation
from service,
with
compensation
in lieu of
notice, and
without
termination
indemnity.
Appeal: None."
There
were stolen
laptops and
hard drives,
airplane
tickets and
even copper
wire. Some
were more
sophisticated:
"A
staff member
created a
false note
verbale on
official
letterhead on
their United
Nations
computer. The
staff member
forged the
signature
of another
staff member,
and sold the
note verbale
to another
staff
member in
order for the
latter to
obtain a
non-immigrant
visa.
Several false
documents,
such as fake
diplomas, were
found on the
staff member’s
United Nations
computer."
And
now, we'll
perform or try
to perform
some detective
work. Ban
Ki-moon
reports:
"A
staff member
was employed
by their
government for
one year while
employed with
the
Organization,
without the
approval of
the
Secretary-General.
A conflict of
interest
existed
between the
nature
of the staff
member’s
outside
activities and
their status
as a
staff member.
The time taken
to conclude
the
investigation
and
subsequent
disciplinary
process were
taken into
account in
determining
the
disciplinary
measure.
Disposition:
Separation
from
service, with
in lieu of
notice and
with
termination
indemnity.
Appeal: Filed
with the
Dispute
Tribunal,
where the case
remains under
consideration."
This
double
employment,
unless
occurring more
than once,
sounds like a
case
Inner City
Press has
asked the UN
about, that of
Jeffery
Armstrong.
Since the UN's
ODS system has
problems with
direct links,
Inner City
Press is
putting the
report online
through its
Scribd, click
here and
watch this
site.
