At U.N., contractor's case again raises questions about nepotism

Internal investigation will examine whether official abused authority

CLICK HERE TO SEE STORY IN WASHINGTON POST

By Colum Lynch
Washington post staff writer
Wednesday, October 28, 2009

UNITED NATIONS -- Nicola Baroncini, a U.N. contract employee from Italy, was doing a routine review of his boss's correspondence in the summer when he stumbled upon an e-mail that would seal his fate.

Baroncini's supervisor had received a message from the United Nations' top envoy in Congo asking her to bend U.N. rules so that his daughter could be hired -- for the very position that Baroncini was holding temporarily and was hoping to keep.

What followed was not pretty. After learning that he had been passed over for the job, Baroncini lost his temper and bit the forearm of a security officer who had been called in to remove him from the building, according to U.N. officials. Baroncini says he bit the guard in self-defense after being attacked, beaten and maced.

The incident, while unusual, highlighted a phenomenon that Baroncini and others say is common at the United Nations: nepotism. "This way of doing business can't go on," said Baroncini, whose case has triggered an internal U.N. probe into whether a senior official was trying to manipulate a hiring process.

There are no hard figures on nepotism and favoritism at the United Nations, but the ranks of the U.N. Secretariat and U.N. agencies include scores of children and grandchildren of the organization's luminaries and foreign diplomats. Many top U.N. jobs in peacekeeping, political affairs and other areas are reserved for politically connected officials from powerful governments, including the United States.

The U.N. Charter requires that the organization's civil servants be independent of their governments, and the organization's rules restrict the hiring of the relatives of U.N. employees. But the rules have long been breached. In his 2003 book "Peacemonger," Marrack Goulding, a former British diplomat who once led the U.N. peacekeeping department, said he strove to show his independence after the British government nominated him.

"A senior U.N. official nominated by his or her own government was . . . assumed to be in the [U.N.] secretariat to do that government's bidding," he wrote.

The United Nations' largest employee union says it frequently hears allegations of nepotism. But the group also says it fears that today's top U.N. officials, including Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the recently departed president of the General Assembly, Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann of Nicaragua, are ill-suited to initiate reform. D'Escoto hired his American nephew, Michael Clark, as an adviser, and his niece, Sophia Clark, as his deputy chief of staff. Ban's daughter Hyun Hee-ban and son-in-law Siddarth Chatterjee also are employed by the United Nations.

"There is something that doesn't look quite right," said Thomas Ginivan, vice president of the U.N. Staff Union. "He's the chief executive officer, and it's ultimately his responsibility to ensure all regulations are followed. It's hard for him to stand up on the podium and criticize when he's not wearing a spotless suit."

Differing perspectives

U.N. officials say the organization has been scrupulous in avoiding favoritism. But not everyone agrees. Several months after Ban ascended to the top post, his son-in-law was promoted by Staffan de Mistura -- then the United Nations' top Iraq envoy -- to a high-profile post as the organization's chief of staff in Iraq.

Some U.N. officials felt that Chatterjee, a former Indian special forces officer with extensive experience in security, lacked the political and diplomatic skills for the job. In May, he was promoted again, to become regional director of the U.N. Office for Project Services in Copenhagen -- only this time he competed against more than 120 other candidates.

De Mistura, a Swedish national, said he hired Chatterjee because he "needed a military guy" who could oversee the organization's expansion in Iraq, not because he was Ban's son-in-law. Chatterjee had overseen security for de Mistura in Iraq in the 1990s, before he had met Ban's daughter.

"For two years, we succeeded in not having one staff member wounded, not one killed," de Mistura said. "The chief of staff was my right hand in handling priority number one, priority number two and priority number three: security."

Chatterjee said that working in an institution where his father-in-law is the boss has been less of a blessing than a burden and that he recently turned down a job offer as the top U.N. official in Namibia because that would mean serving directly under Ban.

"Till now I've been a quiet worker being recognized for the merit of my work rather than for whom I was related to," he said. "When these questions come up about nepotism and favoritism, it breaks my heart."

Similarly, U.N. officials deny that nepotism played any role in the hiring of Ban's daughter, Hyun Hee-ban. She applied for a U.N. job in March 2003 through a program that invites foreign governments to fund their nationals' employment. Officials said that, without her father's intervention, she finished first among 180 South Korean candidates vying for five U.N. posts.

Carol Bellamy, a former director of UNICEF, is among those at the United Nations who say the allegations of nepotism are unfair. The real problem, she said, is the organization's system of political patronage.

"What bugs me is not the hiring of family members, but how often former U.N. ambassadors get appointed" to run complex peacekeeping and humanitarian field operations, Bellamy said.

'Didn't do anything wrong'

In Baroncini's case, the allegations of nepotism stem from the e-mail his boss, a senior official at the U.N. Development Program, received from Alan Doss, the top U.N. envoy in Congo. Doss, who was winding up his career with UNDP, asked for his daughter to be hired even though his employment would overlap with hers, according to the e-mail, which was first reported by a blogger at Inner City Press.

If found by a U.N. investigation to have abused his authority, Doss could face censure, according to an official familiar with the probe. The investigation is expected to conclude within the next month.

Baroncini, meanwhile, will appear Wednesday in a New York court, where he faces third-degree assault charges for the biting incident. He said he wants to take the case to trial.

"I didn't do anything wrong," he said. "I was the victim of nepotism, retaliation, assault and imprisonment."

In Doss Nepotism Scandal, UNDP Denies Whistleblower Status, No Appeal Possible, It Says

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, September 23 -- In another showing of the UN system's weak or non-existent protections for whistleblowers, Inner City Press learned Wednesday that the UN Development Program has ruled against Nicolas Baroncini, whose job was given to the daughter of the UN's top envoy to the Congo Alan Doss after Doss asked for "leeway" so she could be hired.

Baroncini, who was aware of Doss' request for leeway from an e-mail Baroncini opened in the course of his work, was told to leave UNDP. When he asked to speak to his consulate, he says, he was tackled and maced, after which Security Officer Peter Kolonias emerged with bite marks requiring medical attention. There is no doubt, however, that Baroncini was asked to leave after he complained and showed evidence about nepotism. That is retaliation, and makes Baroncini a whistleblower.

UNDP, however, seems to have an insurmountably high definition of whistleblowers. Baroncini was informed that there has only been one whistleblower acknowledged in UNDP in the past two years. When UNDP refused even to follow the findings of the UN's Ethics Office with respect to a whistleblower, then UNDP chief Kemal Dervis argued that UNDP was independent from the UN Ethics system. Dervis set up his own ethics system, and Ban Ki-moon and his spokespeople said that those adversely ruled on could appeal to UN Ethics Officer Robert Benson.

But Baroncini has been informed that there is no appeal of UNDP's ruling that he is not a whistleblower. It seems to give an agency like UNDP an incentive to fire before a person files a formal complaint, and then internally deny whistleblower status to avoid any appeal across the street to the UN Ethics Office.

UNDP's Helen Clark and "her" PM, Key of N Zealand, answers to wider press not shown

It is a system in need of near total reform, and we will follow up on this.

Footnote: While Rebecca Doss remains in place in UNDP's Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, sources speak to Inner City Press about an annual leave, a failure to yet pay, an attempt to find job(s) outside of New York to relieve the pressure, including across the street on the Secretariat. Meanwhile, UNDP's Admininistrator Helen Clark has yet to answer any questions about the scandal, or even to hold any press availability in UN headquarters, despite routinely making herself available to the New Zealand press. Who, some ask, is she working for? Watch this site.

Delebio, giovane fa tremare l'Onu (Young Italian shakes up United Nations on nepotism)

La Provincia di Sondrio

E’ accusato di aver preso a morsi un addetto alla sicurezza del Palazzo di Vetro. Nicola Baroncini, 35 anni di Delebio, è stato incriminato a New York e ha rifiutato il patteggiamento, scegliendo di andare al processo per poter «denunciare il nepotismo delle Nazioni Unite». Fino a giugno, Baroncini aveva lavorato per il programma per lo sviluppo dell'Onu (Undp), all'ufficio Asia e Pacifico, dove era assistente del vice direttore Ligia Elizondo dell'Honduras. Lo scontro con gli agenti di sicurezza risale al 22 giugno, dopo che Baroncini si era lamentato con forza con la Elizondo e altri funzionari, che a suo parere lo avrebbero scartato per un posto di «assistente speciale» preferendo la figlia di Alan Doss, responsabile della missione dell'Onu nella repubblica democratica del Congo. L'italiano è stato picchiato, preso a calci e spruzzato in viso con lo spray al peperoncino, ma davanti ad un tribunale dovrà difendersi dall’accusa di aver aggredito un addetto alla sicurezza del palazzo di Vetro dell’Onu.

Ma facciamo un passo indietro nella vicenda. Dopo l’esame contestato, il delebiese si classifica quarto. Per lui, dunque, ogni speranza di essere assunto viene meno. Due mesi più tardi però, quasi per caso, si imbatte in una mail del sottosegretario Alan Doss (responsabile della missione dell’Onu nella Repubblica democratica del Congo) indirizzata alla Elizondo, la sua principale, dove il primo ringrazia la dirigente per avere dato l’opportunità alla figlia di partecipare al concorso. Più tardi viene fuori che la vincitrice, la russa Violeta Maximova, rinuncerà al posto e quell’incarico andrà proprio alla figlia di Alan Doss, la seconda classificata.

Barlascini a questo punto decide di denunciare il caso di nepotismo e si rivolge all’ufficio della sua direttrice per chiedere spiegazioni. Le risposte sono evasive e poco chiare. Addirittura il giovane delebiese che è laureato in economia ed è sposato con un’altra dipendente delle Nazioni Unite dalla quale ha avuto un figlio di due anni, viene - come detto - malmenato e ammanettato.

UN's Ban Expects Nepotism Report Aug. 18, As His Daughter's and Son in Law's Promotion Questioned

By Matthew Russell Lee

UNITED NATIONS, August 14 -- Questions about nepotism at the UN have multiplied this summer, now leading directly to the top. The efforts by Alan Doss, the Special Representative to the Democratic Republic of the Congo of Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, to procure a job for his daughter Rebecca with the UN Development Program, documented by an e-mail obtained and first published by Inner City Press in which Mr. Doss requested "leeway" from applicable hiring rules, has triggered an investigation on which a report is now expected on August 18.

On August 14, Mr. Ban's Spokesperson's Office in a message to Inner City Press disputed that they have been dodging questions and said that Ban "takes this matter very seriously, and expects to see a report upon his return to New York" on August 18. This was reiterated on camera in response to follow-up questions from Inner City Press, here.

But Mr. Ban himself has been subject to nepotism related questions. His son in law Siddath Chatterjee, already given a promotion by another SRSG Staffan de Mistura, in May obtained an even higher job with the UN Office of Project Services in Copenhagen. Inner City Press, which happened on the story while in Copenhagen covering Mr. Ban's trip to Sri Lanka, asked Ban's Spokesperson's Office to confirm the rank and hiring. The Office refused until, four days later, Inner City Press published the story.

Even then, UNOPS refused to state how high a promotion Ban's son in law was given. Internal UNOPS e-mails subsequently obtained by Inner City Press and published below show that it is at the D-2 level, the rank immediately below Assistant Secretary General. Also below is a detailed message concerning Ban's son in law's work in Iraq which calls the promotion into question.

Now despite Ban's Spokesperson's Office referring the question to yet another UN agency, UNICEF, Inner City Press has obtained confirmation that Ban's daughter in late June was given a Temporary Fixed Term contract by UNICEF, in Copenhagen where her husband in May got the promotion. Throughout the UN system, Inner City Press has met spouses who are unable to obtain jobs in the same city, country or even continent.

So, some ask, how seriously can or will Ban take the Doss affair?

UN's Ban and and his DRC envoy Alan Doss shaking hands: sharing a POV?

When last month Inner City Press asked a senior Ban advisor to confirm UNOPS' hiring and promotion of Ban's son in law, the response was that it is a "sensitive" matter but that Ban's Spokesperson should answer. After posing the question, no response was given for four days.

Similarly, when Inner City Press from July 31 on asked about Ban's envoy Alan Doss' e-mail asking for leeway in the hiring of his daughter, Mr. Ban's Spokesperson's Office repeatedly referred all questions to UNDP, even though Doss works for Mr. Ban and the Secretariat.

At the UN's noon briefing on August 14, before publishing this story, Inner City Press asked Ban's Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe to respond to those who question if how Ban views and deals with the Doss matter may be impacted by Ban's own "sensitivity," as the Ban advisor put it, to questions about the UN system hirings of his daughter and son in law. "Absolutely no connection between the two," Ms. Okabe said. Video here, from Minute 10:48. Watch this site.

Regarding Mr. Ban's son in law Siddarth Chatterjee, first from a whistleblowing source anonymous due to fear of retaliation, and then official but internal UNOPS e-mails:

To Inner City Press

I hope you succeed in drawing this level of nepotism to the attention of all, both within and without the UN system. The Iraqis deserved better. UNOPS, for all its faults, deserves better.

Overview of Sid Chatterjee:

Sid was a junior MOVCON officer in northern Iraq during the 986 (Oil for Food) program. Staffan de Mistura was with WFP in northern Iraq, and this is where they met. Sid went on to become a security officer for UNICEF (Somalia), ending up as P4. When de Mistura was appointed SRSG Iraq, apparently Sid called, asked if he could work for him as Chief of Staff, and was immediately given the job. The COS post is a D2 appointment, but Sid was brought in, and ‘performed’ the role, as a D1. He has moved to Regional Director with UNOPS as D2 (see below):

...Never made a decision as COS in Baghdad – never did anything which might be used against him in some way in the future. Kept a clean slate throughout – the problem being, of course, that the mission virtually ground to a halt, as no decisions were made, and no direction given.... In essence, an over-promoted, under qualified, totally ineffective individual, concerned only with getting as high as possible within the system, while conditions are in his favor. (That may seem very subjective, but I can assure you it is the opinion of the vast majority of people in Iraq, especially those working in UNAMI itself. When one international member of UNAMI staff heard Sid had been recruited as Regional Director for UNOPS, he shouted: “D2? D2? He’s not even a f***ing P2!)

Overview of Jan Mattsson:

Came to UNOPS, from UNDP, in 2006... Not field orientated, which is a shame for a UN entity which is predominantly field based. Built a huge empire in Copenhagen, with ludicrous senior staff levels (at P5 and above level). UNOPS, of course, is unique in the UN system, as it is the only entity which is entirely project funded (no core funds whatsoever). Those in the field now have to work harder to fund the bureaucracy which has been established in Copenhagen. Has very weak interpersonal skills, and is utterly hopeless (embarrassingly so) when engaging in conversation with others (including donors, national government representatives etc). His only concern, it is felt by many, is to achieve USG rank before he retires. Of course, only the Secretary General can appoint USGs. Hence Sid to Copenhagen, on promotion.

From: Jan MATTSSON
Sent: 01 May 2009 06:49
To: UNOPS - ALL STAFF
Subject: Appointment of Siddharth Chatterjee as Regional Director for Europe and the Middle East (EMO)

Dear Colleagues,

UNOPS is pleased to announce the appointment of Siddharth Chatterjee as Regional Director for Europe and the Middle East (EMO), stationed in Copenhagen. Starting today Sid will be responsible for UNOPS operations in this new regional office set-up, developing business and delivering a full range of quality services to clients. He will explore partnerships within and outside the UN, including the private sector. And as part of UNOPS senior management team Sid will, like the other Regional Directors, help shape the future direction of the organization. Sid will report directly to Vitaly and myself.

A national of India, Sid is a graduate of the National Defence Academy of India and obtained a certificate in Social Policy from the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands. For more than 12 years he has held positions of increasing responsibility in UN peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Iraq, and with UNICEF in Sudan, Indonesia and Somalia. Previously he served 12 years with distinction in the Indian Army Special Forces, rising to the rank of senior Major.

Sid’s familiarity with multi-sector programmes in emergency, transition and development environments, combined with leadership experience in the military and the UN will be a real asset to UNOPS.

Sid is a poet, a keen golfer, enjoys long distance running and scuba diving, and when time allows he willingly jumps out of perfectly good airplanes.

Please give Sid your strong support in our shared efforts to strengthen UNOPS for the benefit of our partners and the people we ultimately serve.

Warm regards,

Jan

Jan Mattsson | Executive Director | Copenhagen, Denmark |

[From Inner City Press' well placed source] Several things are of note about the recruitment. Was it transparent? Nobody thinks so. Is he qualified for a D2 post? Certainly not. His previous experience within the UN was mostly as a junior international staff. The e-mail refers to him having gained a ‘certificate’ in Social Policy from the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands – which is a weak attempt to cover up the fact that he does not have a degree (I don’t think he has a first degree, and certainly hasn’t got a Masters degree – a usual requirement for any Professional (P) post, whether junior or senior (and certainly Masters required for D level posts).

...In essence, he is officially totally under-qualified for a D2 post. Not only under-qualified, but his qualifications would, in normal circumstances, actually preclude him from even being short-listed.

For the record, here is what UNOPS, to which Ban's Office of the Spokesperson referred Inner City Press when weeks ago Inner City Press first raised the issue, said in response to a request to know whether the S-G's son in law's post was at the D-1 or D-2 level:

Subj: response from UNOPS to your question
From: [Deputy Spokespeson at] un.org
To: Inner City Press
Sent: 7/24/2009 11:48:20 A.M. Eastern Standard Time

Response from UNOPS on the selection of Siddharth Chatterjee as UNOPS Regional Director for Europe and Middle East

Siddharth Chatterjee, was appointed in May 2009 as UNOPS Regional Director for Europe and the Middle East (EMO). He was awarded the position after competing successfully in a routine and transparent recruitment process independently managed by UNOPS.

Mr. Chatterjee met or exceeded all the criteria for the post. UNOPS totally rejects any suggestion that he gained the position due to family connections.

For 12 years Mr. Chatterjee held positions of increasing responsibility in UN peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in Iraq, and working for UNICEF in Sudan, Indonesia and Somalia. Earlier he served 12 years with distinction in the Indian Army Special Forces, including duty as a military observer for the UN, rising to the rank of senior Major. During the recruitment process he impressed the selection panel with his 24 years of leadership and experience handling UN tasks in conflict and post-conflict settings.

The post of regional director was advertised on UNOPS website and in prominent international media. UNOPS received 121 applications, and short listed five candidates based on their specific experience and their match to the competencies sought for the position. UNOPS conducted a formal panel interview with these five, asking identical questions of each. The candidates were ranked based on their interview scores. References were checked and the successful candidate offered the position.

This response does not state Mr. Ban's son in law's new rank nor compensation, nor describe "any safeguards in place" nor "confirm that the spouses of the Secretary General and Mr. Mattssson met in late May, describe all use of UN system personnel in this regard and the cost. Please describe and disclose all communications between the Bans and the Mattssons, in connection with the hiring, with S-G's decision to increase UNOPS' autonomy in hiring and the increase in D-1 and D-2 positions and otherwise."

These questions were reiterated to UNOPS and the UN Spokesperson's Office on July 24, but were never answered. In the interim, Inner City Press has obtained an internal UNOPS email documenting that Mr. Ban's son in law's post is at the higher, D-2 level:

From: Vitaly VANSHELBOIM

Sent: 03 March 2009 11:09

To: UNOPS - EMO

Subject: Welcome to the new mailgroup

As you know, yesterday EUO and MEO formally merged into a new regional office called EMO (Europe and the Middle East) based in Copenhagen...I will be acting Regional Director of EMO until we have recruited a “permanent” replacement. In response to our advertisement for the D-2 regional director job, we received some 130 applications. Five candidates were short-listed for interviews: four were interviewed last Friday and the last interview is scheduled for Thursday this week. We’d like to make a decision by mid-March.

From Ms. Okabe Friday morning:

From: Deputy Spokesperson at un.org
To: Inner City Press
Sent: 8/14/2009 7:57:02 A.M. Eastern Standard Time
Subj: your latest entry

What I said was that queries on the biting incident should be directed to the NY County DA Office.

On the allegations, we take the matter very seriously.

"The Secretary-General is aware of the situation. He has been assured that a thorough independent investigation is underway, He takes this matter very seriously, and expects to see a report upon his return to NY."

Before the August 14 noon briefing, Inner City Press asked, among other things, "please confirm that the report you refer to will be the one by UNDP's Office of Audit and Investigation. As the article you're responding to reports, sources in UNDP say the investigation is being compromised by its leadership's long time friendship with Alan Doss. (1) Any response? More important and on deadline: following up on my questions about the hiring of the S-G's son in law by UNOPS, which your Office after not providing any answers about for four days ended up referring to UNOPS only after publication and public raising, (2) please confirm this morning that the S-G's daughter has also obtained a UN system job on a Fixed Term Contract in Copenhagen, and how it should be viewed as above board given the son in law's getting a UNOPS there."

Ms. Okabe did not comment on the credibility of UNDP's investigation, nor the other matter. Rather, she referred Inner City Press to UNICEF, from which

Subj: Answers your queries re: employment status Ms. Ban
From: Spokesman at unicef.org
To: Inner City Press
Sent: 8/14/2009 10:25:42 A.M. Eastern Standard Time

Hi Matthew,

Answers on Ms. Ban.

Ms. Ban commenced work with UNICEF in January 2003 as a JPO. After completing her term as a JPO and serving the obligatory period away from service, she competed for and won a P2 position in our Sudan office in January 2005.

Currently, she is employed on a 12-month temporary contract (TFT) with UNICEF (at the P3 level) based in Copenhagen which started on 29 June 2009. Her title is "Project Manager: Supply Web Catalogue" in our Supply Division's Knowledge Management section.

From Feb 2006 to 2008, she held a post as a UNICEF staff member based in Nairobi. In 2008, she requested (and was granted) special leave from her staff position in Nairobi. After a period on special leave without pay, she resigned from that post.

Earlier this year she applied for the temporary position mentioned above in Copenhagen. Candidates were reviewed according to our normal procedures, she was gauged the best candidate and she was offered the job.

The work she is undertaking for UNICEF has no relationship whatsoever with the position her husband occupies in UNOPS. It is not uncommon for married couples to apply for positions that allow them to live in the same city/country.

A Ban adviser after Friday's noon briefing argued that married couples should be allowed to be posted together. Inner City Press does not disagree, but has met many couples in the UN system forced to be apart. Shouldn't all UN staff be treated equally? As one source asked, isn't preferential treatment for relatives of high officials the definition of nepotism? Watch this site.

* * *

"Io, pestato dalla sicurezza" Trascina l'Onu in tribunale

Brutta avventura per un consulente italiano che, escluso da un concorso al Palazzo di vetro, aveva denunciato scelte clientelari. "Sono stato preso a calci, assalito e mi hanno messo anche le manette", racconta dall'inviato Giampaolo Pioli

"Sono stato preso a calci e assalito da tre guardie dell’Onu in un ufficio, mi hanno spruzzato in faccia due volte il pepper spray e messo le manette come un delinquente. Per disperazione col bruciore negli occhi ho reagito addentando la mano di uno dei poliziotti e domani dovrò presentarmi in tribunale a difendermi dalle accuse di essere stato io l’assalitore degli agenti. E’ incredibile. Ho lavorato per quasi 6 anni per le Nazioni Unite come consulente con diversi contratti a termine. Sono un idealista, credo nel Palazzo di Vetro e nella sua funzione, ma le cose che accadono al suo interno possono anche essere raccapriccianti…Voglio che ritirino la loro denuncia e se non lo fanno ne presenterò io una contro di loro".

Nicola Baroncini, 35 anni è un giovane valtellinese di Delebio, laureato in economia, sposato con una dipendente dell’United Nations Development Program e padre di un bambino di 2 anni. Il rocambolesco episodio del suo arresto dentro uno dei palazzi dell’Onu, da parte della polizia di New York che lo ha portato anche in carcere a Manhattan per una notte, risale al 22 giugno, ma adesso, con l’udienza, rischia di far esplodere un nuovo caso di nepotismo nella gestione del segretario generale Ban Ki Moon. Senza quel clamoroso arresto tutto sarebbe finito probabilmente nel nulla.

Baroncini sostiene di essere vittima di una rappresaglia interna e che il concorso in programma il 9 giugno per il posto di "special assistant" (60/70 mila dollari l’anno esentasse) del vice direttore dell’ufficio Asia e Pacifico dell’UNDP Ligia Elisondo, al quale ha partecipato classificandosi 4°, potrebbe non essersi svolto nel rispetto delle regole. Dopo il trattamento subito vuole andare fino in fondo.

Il giovane italiano, ora disoccupato, si è rivolto prima ai responsabili delle risorse umane dell’Onu mostrando una e-mail nella quale quasi 2 mesi prima, il 20 aprile l’inglese Alan Doss sottosegretario generale dell’Onu e inviato speciale di Ban Ki Moon per il Congo ringrazia la stessa Elisondo per la posizione che verrà assegnata alla figlia Rebecca prima ancora dell’uscita del bando.

Alla fine dell’esame il 9 giugno una bella ragazza russa Violeta Maximova prima classificata rinuncerà al posto per andare nella fondazione di Bill Clinton e Rebecca Doss seconda in lista ottiene la posizione.

Il 22 giugno per Baroncini arrivano i guai, le manette e crolla il mito dell’Onu. Quando si presenta alla scrivania, il capo dell’ufficio la signora Elisondo gli dice di tornare a casa ma che verrà pagato comunque fino alla fine del mese quando scadrà il contratto. Lui va dal diretto superiore che solo due giorni prima gli aveva promesso di aiutarlo a trovare un altro posto a termine, ma questa volta trova un muro. Baroncini sventola di nuovo l’e-mail di Doss e grida nel corridoio "vergogna… se questo è il modo con cui reclutate la gente".

Un uomo della sicurezza gli chiede di restituire il pass e di lasciare l’edificio.Baroncini obbedisce e comincia a raccogliere le carte e a spegenere il computer. Arriva anche la moglie che lavora poche stanze più avanti e insieme a lei due guardie dell’Onu che lo piantonano obbligandolo(secondo il suo lungo racconto) a rimanere per ore in attesa in un ufficio vuoto.

"A quel punto non capivo più cosa stava succedendo - ci dice - Ho chiesto di parlare col consolato italiano e con un avvocato. Non mi è stato permesso. E’ arrivato anche un altro agente Onu e hanno invitato mia moglie ad andare in un’altra stanza dove le hanno chiesto se a casa ero violento e la picchiavo. C’è tutto nel mio rapporto che ho già presentato alle autorità dell’Onu e che presenterò in tribunale. Ma l’aggressione è avvenuta quando è entrato nella stanza un ufficiale delle Nazioni Unite con la divisa bianca. Una delle guardie mi si è buttata addosso tirandomi per terra e le altre mi hanno preso a calci e spruzzato lo spray. Non ci vedevo gridavo dal dolore volevo un avvocato e mi hanno spruzzato ancora prima di mettermi le manette mi erano addosso in tre. La polizia di New York è arrivata molto dopo con un’ambulanza. Mi hanno portato all’ospedale Bellevue. Non al pronto soccorso ma al reparto psichiatrico. Il medico mi ha visitato e si è messo a ridere giudicandomi sano di mente. Da li sono finito al distretto di polizia per le impronte digitali perché nel frattempo un agente dell’Onu aveva sporto denuncia nei miei confronti dicendo che ero stato io ad assalirlo e da qui sono finito in tribunale alle dieci di sera. Siccome il giudice era già andato a casa ho dovuto trascorrere la notte seduto in una cella on altre 20 persone fino alle nove del mattino quando il magistrato ha fissato per agosto la data dell’udienza".

Avete provato a discutere con l’Onu?
"Il mio avvocato ha cercato diverse volte di mettersi in contatto ma è sempre stato rinviato da un interlocutore all’altro".

E’ probabile che nel frattempo in corte le venga offerto un 'patteggiamento' per chiudere l’incidente?
"E’ quello che mi è stato detto, ma non intendo accettare. Se l’agente dell’Onu non ritira la denuncia ne faccio una contro di loro per le violenze subite e voglio un processo per dimostrare chi è stato l’aggressore e l’aggredito. Chiameremo anche i funzionari dell’Onu a testimoniare. E’ una vicenda assurda e sconcertante. Voglio che venga fuori la verità. Rivoglio la mia dignità…Io non ho nulla da perdere…..ma solo un figlio da mantenere e un mutuo da pagare".

L’ufficio del portavoce delle Nazioni Unite è avaro di dettagli su questo episodio. Ammette che è accaduto , conferma che è stato usato il 'pepper spray' e aggiunge che la guardia coinvolta è stata medicata in ospedale ed è dovuta rimanere a casa una settimana dal lavoro. Sul concorso contestato dell’UNDP dichiarano laconici che "il processo di selezione si è svolto regolarmente". Non parlano del potenziale conflitto d’interesse di Alan Doss che raccomanda la figlia, ma potrebbero essere costretti a farlo com’è del resto già accaduto anche con vecchi scandali Onu del passato.

dall'inviato Giampaolo Pioli