Posted on 01/27/2007 6:19:24 PM PST by wagglebee
Fresh allegations of corruption within the United Nations have surfaced in a confidential audit report that claims the 2003 election of the current chief of the U.N. weather agency was manipulated.
The report, obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, centered around payments to government delegates at the Geneva-based World Meteorological Organization, which coordinates the study of the world's weather and climate.
WMO instructed Maria Veiga of Portugal, an independent auditor who wrote the report, to investigate the financial irregularities in 2003. Three years later, she was fired for what the agency described as "serious misconduct."
The auditor, however, said she was blocked from pursuing her investigation, received intimidating phone calls and was threatened with legal action by one WMO official before being dismissed.
In a 65-page summary of her findings, Veiga said that Muhammad Hassan of Sudan, a former WMO staffer, skimmed some $3 million from the agency while he was working in its training department.
The disappearance of the money was made public in 2003 when WMO handed the matter over to Swiss authorities. At the time Hassan, who by then had gone abroad, was suspected of having embezzled the money.
But according to the documents seen by the AP, most of funds were allegedly used to influence the votes of about 50 WMO member states during the May 2003 election of the agency's new secretary-general.
The misappropriated funds were "used to pay travel, accommodation and pocket money of ... delegates of certain countries with WMO (on the understanding) that the delegates would then vote and act according to Mr. Hassan's and other WMO staff members' ... instructions," the report states.
Hassan's current whereabouts are unknown to Swiss authorities, and the AP was unable to contact him. But Marc Tappolet, the investigating magistrate of Geneva canton, told the AP that the Swiss inquiry against Hassan is continuing.
The purpose of the payments was to support the candidacy of Kenya's Evans Mukolwe, the report said. Veiga told the AP that delegates told her the idea was to draw votes away from France's official candidate, Jean Pierre Beysson, so that senior WMO official Michel Jarraud, also of France, could win the top post.
Mukolwe beat Beysson 85-70 in the first round of voting, but failed to win the required two-thirds majority in three subsequent rounds, and nominations were reopened. Lithuania then nominated Jarraud, who beat Mukolwe by 109 to 50 votes.
Jarraud had served for eight years as deputy to outgoing WMO chief Godwin Obasi of Nigeria.
"I think Mr. Obasi ... wanted his deputy to be elected because he felt that Mr. Jarraud's election would bring a certain continuity of his work," Beysson told the AP late on Friday by telephone from Paris.
Obasi, who allegedly had close ties to Hassan, has since returned to his native Nigeria. AP's calls to Obasi's phone numbers there went unanswered Saturday.
Jarraud said in a statement Saturday he was not involved in any wrongdoing.
"At no time did I attempt to influence the elections and I reject categorically any allegation in connection with this," he said.
WMO spokeswoman Carine Richard-van Maele said Veiga's allegations were "completely unfounded and defamatory." She added that the agency hoped the Swiss investigation would answer all questions in the case.
"WMO is convinced that the principle motive for the misappropriation of its funds was personal enrichment," Richard-van Maele said. "At no time did Mr. Jarraud have knowledge of fraudulent use of WMO funds. As soon as the fraud was discovered, Mr. Jarraud initiated action, as his top priority, to strengthen internal controls and procedures."
Veiga's report also mentions a dozen other high-level WMO staffers who were allegedly involved.
Her lawyer, Edward Flaherty, claimed the Swiss investigation into senior officials was blocked when Jarraud "refused to lift the immunity of the other persons of interest in the investigation." But Richard-van Maele denied that, saying the agency has proof that it complied with all of the investigating magistrate's requests.
The lifting of diplomatic immunity is a precondition for a criminal investigation by national authorities against U.N. staff members.
The only heads that will roll are those that belong to them doing the reporting.
They're in charge of propagandizing Global Warming.
Propagating global warming?
That too. ;O)
And this is the same group of grifters that is about to issue its "the-USA-is-the-cause-of-global-warming" report next week.
We ought to run this bunch of crooks that are looting our treasury out of the country.
corruption in the UN? Who knew?
corruption in the UN? Who knew?
Hillary channels Eleanor Roosevelt. Don't cha know? She's probably really Hillary....
Damn - Ban Ki-Moon really has his work cut out for him! Whether or not hes another Kofi Annan will be revealed shortly.
http://epw.senate.gov/fact.cfm?party=rep&id=264568
NUREMBERG-STYLE TRIALS PROPOSED FOR GLOBAL WARMING SKEPTICS
>>>>I can imagine that fixing who is in charge of the UN's weather agency makes it real easy to advance the left's global warming agenda.
The EPA is partnered with the UN.
http://iaspub.epa.gov/trs/trs_proc_qry.navigate_term?p_term_id=29682&p_term_cd=TERMDIS
EPA.gov
Agenda 21, the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, is a
comprehensive programme of action to be achieved by governments,
development agencies, United Nations organizations and independent
sector groups in every area where human activity affects the
environment. Agenda 21 was adopted by the United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development, the Earth Summit. Agenda 21 is the
response to the UN General Assembly's call, in December 1989, for a
global meeting to devise strategies to halt and reverse the effects of
environment degradation "in the context of increased national and
international efforts to promote sustainable and environmentally sound
development in all countries"
http://www.un.org/esa/agenda21/natlinfo/countr/usa/natur.htm
UN.org
Agenda 21
NATURAL RESOURCE ASPECTS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED
STATES OF AMERICA
* Agriculture
* Atmosphere
* Biodiversity
* Desertification and Drought
* Energy
* Forests
* Freshwater
* Land Management
* Mountains
* Oceans and Coastal Areas
* Toxic Chemicals
* Waste and Hazardous Materials
The EPA has been granted Executive Powers.
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=browse_usc&docid=Cite:+42USC7603
Environmental Emergency Powers:
Excerpt:
the Administrator, upon receipt of evidence that a pollution source or combination of sources (including moving sources) is presenting an imminent and substantial endangerment to public health or welfare, or the environment, may bring suit on behalf of the United States in the appropriate United States district court to immediately restrain any person causing or contributing to the alleged pollution to stop the emission of air pollutants causing or contributing to such pollution or to take such other action as may be necessary.
/excerpt
Thats it...All my U.N. action figures go in the trash..I don't care how rare the africa rape set is !
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.