NEW YORK, 22 March: Less than a week after announcing that internal investigations have resulted in the removal of two vendors (sælgere/forhandlere) from the list of those registered to sell goods to the United Nations, the world body Thursday indicated that several additional cases – including a number involving high-cost contracts – are now being probed.
Among those cases are some that “involve the international transfer of funds through circuitous (snørklede) routes and nominees and agents,” according to the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) Procurement Task Force.
The announcement comes six days after UN spokesperson Michele Montas said Cogim, S.p.A. and Avicos Insurance Company had been removed from the Vendor Database and prohibited from doing business with the UN as a result of inappropriate (upassende) relationships between them and an indicted former UN official.
Ms. Montas said that based on a related investigation bythe UN’s Procurement Task Force, registered vendors Corimec Italiana S.p.A and Volga Dnepr Airlines and its subsidiary, Volga-Dnepr (Ireland) Ltd., were suspended from the Vendor Database in light of alleged inappropriate relationships between them and a former UN official.
UN Procurement Officer Alexander Yakovlev resigned in August 2005 amid accusations that he solicited kickbacks (krævede returkommission = penge under bordet for handler).
Evidence against him emerged during the course of the Independent Inquiry Committee (IIC) investigation into mismanagement (misbrug) in the UNs Iraq Oil-for-Food programme. After being contacted by the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, the then UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan waived (ophævede) Mr. Yakovlevs immunity.
In a report issued just prior to Mr. Yakovlevs resignation, the IIC found that he had received 950.000 US dollar from various UN contractors and that it was paid into offshore bank accounts.
In June 2005, Vladimir Kuznetsov, the chairman of the UNs Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ), was arrested by US officials. The Secretary-General waived his immunity and the UN cooperated with the US in connection with its inquiry.
Thursdays Procurement Task Force statement said that it “has for some time been vigorously pursuing the matters which were only partially revealed during the testimony” in Mr. Kuznetsovs criminal trial this month.
It underlined the “greater length of time” required to deal with some cases because of the involvement of lawyers requesting extensions to comply with requests for documents and witness interviews.
The Task Force “is also examining several additional cases, some of which involve high-value contracts, involving vendors and intermediaries (mellemmænd) and agents of these companies, who have acted on behalf of entities doing business with the United Nations.”
In total, the UN procures (indkøber) some 2 billion US dollar (ca. 11,5 milliarder DKR) in goods (varer) and services (tjenesteydelser) annually.
The Task Forces past efforts triggered action, according to the statement. “As a result of the Task Force’s work, and as a consequence of its reports, several additional vendors have been removed from the UN vendor roster.”
The statement said the issue is pending and a report will be released in the future. “These matters are much more extensive and complex than what was revealed during the course of the testimony, and the Task Forces investigation of all of the surrounding circumstances must be accomplished before the matter is finalized, and a full and final report is issued.”
Paul Buardes, Chief the UN Procurement Division, expained how the UN is implementing its “zero tolerance” policy on procurement, adding that reform is under way to prevent a recurrence (gentagelse) of past events.
In January 2006, the UN announced it was conducting some 200 investigations into procurement activities involving funds running into the tens of millions of dollars. Eight staff members were placed on “special leave with pay” in that connection. The names of the staff members were not disclosed.
Today, Mr. Buardes was asked about the impact on morale of the 14-month suspension of Andrew Toh, who was the Assistant Secretary-General for Central Support Services.
– It can have an impact, he replied, adding he was working to try to overcome this through open communication.
Mr. Toh was the official who accepted Mr. Yakovlevs resignation in June 2005.
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