The head of a UN inspection office said the world body needed a "major overhaul" of how it procures US$1.9 billion in goods annually and called for less secrecy about probes of staff and companies involved.
Commenting on the conviction of a former UN purchasing official on Thursday, Undersecretary-General Inga-Britt Ahlenius said a Procurement Task Force that reports to her was reviewing contracts worth US$1 billion for waste and fraud and had opened 140 cases.
"It is difficult to rely on the system when it comes to procurement," Ahlenius, head of the Office of Internal Oversight, told a news conference. "In my view, there is a need for a major overhaul of the procurement system in the organization."
With evidence collected by the Task Force, the procurement official, Sanjaya Bahel, 57, was convicted in Manhattan federal court on charges of bribery and fraud. He was accused of steering millions of dollars in UN contracts to Indian companies in exchange for cash and discounts on two luxury apartments. He faces up to 35 years in prison.
The Bahel case had been investigated by Ahlenius' predecessor, who had himself been under investigation, but was dropped for lack of evidence in 2004.
Ahlenius was appointed to her post in April 2005.
Ahlenius said she asked a EU office to review the case because the initial investigation "wasn't thorough enough." The Task Force, created a year ago, held its own probe and handed files to US prosecutors.
But Ahlenius avoided questions on investigations now underway, some already reported in the press, as well new completed reports, saying she was forbidden to do so by the UN General Assembly.
"I think the secretiveness that is held by this organization serves us poorly," Ahlenius said, urging patience because "change will come."
She said the UN was not protected enough from "corrupt vendors" and was "a victim" of unscrupulous firms and vendors.
Ahlenius said the UN needs to improve senior management in the procurement department, improve risk assessment and institute policies, processes, checks and balances to guarantee proper handling of purchasing operations and ensure effective monitoring.
Robert Appleton, head of the task force, said that not all his cases involved bribes but firmss making "false representations" or operating through intermediaries.
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
A documentary whose main subject, 25-year-old photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza weeks before it premiered at Cannes stunned viewers into silence at the festival on Thursday. As the cinema lights came back on, filmmaker Sepideh Farsi held up an image of the young Palestinian woman killed with younger siblings on April 16, and encouraged the audience to stand up and clap to pay tribute. “To kill a child, to kill a photographer is unacceptable,” Farsi said. “There are still children to save. It must be done fast,” the exiled Iranian filmmaker added. With Israel
Africa has established the continent’s first space agency to boost Earth observation and data sharing at a time when a more hostile global context is limiting the availability of climate and weather information. The African Space Agency opened its doors last month under the umbrella of the African Union and is headquartered in Cairo. The new organization, which is still being set up and hiring people in key positions, is to coordinate existing national space programs. It aims to improve the continent’s space infrastructure by launching satellites, setting up weather stations and making sure data can be shared across
RSS