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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 6 augusT 2019

AP: UN workers accused of fraud, theft in handling Yemen aid

By MAGGIE MICHAEL to speed up the purchas-
Associated Press ing of goods and services
CAIRO (AP) — An Associ- in a crisis. The WHO says the
ated Press investigation arrangement is needed to
has found that more than keep operations going in
a dozen United Nations aid remote areas because Ye-
workers deployed to deal men’s banking sector is not
with the humanitarian cri- fully functioning.
sis caused by five years of Because they are sup-
civil war in Yemen are be- posed to be restricted to
ing accused of graft — join- emergencies, there is no
ing with combatants on all requirement that spend-
sides to enrich themselves ing of these direct trans-
from an international out- fers be itemized. Zagaria
pouring of donated food, approved direct transfer
medicine, fuel and money. of cash worth a total of $1
The AP obtained U.N. in- million for certain staffers,
ternal investigative docu- according to internal doc-
ments, and interviewed uments. But in many cases
eight aid workers and for- it was unclear how they
mer government officials. In this Dec. 10, 2018 file photo, Yemenis take part in a protest calling for the reopening of Sanaa spent the money.
The upshot: internal audi- airport to receive medical aid, in front of the U.N. offices in Sanaa, Yemen. Zagaria did not respond
tors from the World Health Associated Press to emailed questions from
Organization are inves- Yemen. The main focus of but he would not confirm mined the quality of work the AP. According to three
tigating allegations that WHO’s investigation into its or deny that Zagaria spe- and monitoring of projects people with knowledge of
unqualified people were Yemen operations is Nevio cifically was under investi- and created “many loop- the probe, internal auditors
placed in high-paying jobs, Zagaria, an Italian doctor, gation. holes for corruption,” a for- at UNICEF are investigating
hundreds of thousands of who was chief of the agen- “The Office of Internal mer aid official said. Khurram Javed, a Pakistani
dollars were deposited in cy’s Sanaa office from 2016 Oversight Services is cur- Zagaria also allegedly ap- national suspected of let-
staffers’ personal bank ac- until September 2018, ac- rently investigating all con- proved suspicious con- ting a senior Houthi official
counts, dozens of suspi- cording to three individuals cerns raised,” he said. “We tracts signed by staffers use an agency vehicle.
cious contracts were ap- with direct knowledge of must respect the confiden- with no competitive bid- That effectively gave the
proved without the proper the investigation. tiality of this process and ding or documentation Houthi official protection
paperwork, and tons of do- The only public announce- are unable go into details for the spending. Accord- from airstrikes by the Sau-
nated medicine and fuel ment of the probe came in on specific concerns.” ing to internal documents, di-led coalition fighting
went missing. a sentence buried in the 37 Four current and former local firms contracted to the Houthis, since UNICEF
A second probe by an- pages of the internal audi- workers said the WHO’s Ye- provide services at WHO’s clears its vehicles’ move-
other U.N. agency, UNICEF, tor’s 2018 annual report of men office under Zagaria Aden office were later ments with the coalition to
focuses on a staffer who activities worldwide. The was riddled with corruption found to have hired WHO ensure their safety. Officials
allowed a Houthi rebel report did not mention Za- and nepotism. staffers’ friends and family say they fear the agency’s
leader to travel in agency garia by name. Zagaria brought in junior and overcharged for ser- vehicles could be targeted
vehicles, shielding him from The report, released May staffers who worked with vices. The owner of one firm by airstrikes if coalition forc-
potential airstrikes by the 1, found that financial and him in the Philippines and was seen handing cash to es believe they are being
Saudi-led coalition. The in- administrative controls in promoted them to high-sal- one staffer, the documents used to shield Houthi rebels.
dividuals who spoke to the the Yemen office were “un- ary posts though they were show — an apparent kick- Javed was well known for
AP about the investigations satisfactory” — its lowest unqualified, three individu- back. his close ties to Houthi secu-
did so on condition of ano- rating — and noted hiring als said. Under Zagaria, aid funds rity agencies; he boasted
nymity, fearing reprisals. irregularities, no-competi- Two of them — a Filipino meant to be spent during that he used his connection
Critics of such corruption tion contracts and lack of university student and a emergencies were also to prevent UNICEF auditors
say it threatens the interna- monitoring over procure- former intern — were given used with little accountabil- from entering the country,
tional lifeline on which the ment. senior posts, but their only ity or monitoring, accord- a former co-worker and an
majority of Yemen’s 30 mil- WHO spokesman Tarik role was to take care of Za- ing to internal documents. aid official said. The Houthi
lion people rely. Last year, Jasarevic confirmed to the garia’s dog, two of the of- Under WHO rules, aid mon- rebels even put up a large
the U.N. said international AP that the investigation is ficials said. ey can be transferred di- billboard of him on a San-
donors pledged $2 billion underway. He said Zagaria “Incompetent staff with rectly into the accounts of aa street, thanking him for
for humanitarian efforts in retired in September 2018, heavy salaries” under- staffers, a measure meant his services.q

Morocco navy rescues 424 migrants in under a day

Associated Press MAP says the rescued mi- duce the surge and reports migrants who disembarked Mali and Tunisia and in-
ROME (AP) — Morocco’s grants included 53 women stopping tens of thousands on the island Monday re- clude three pregnant
state-run news agency says and 16 minors and some of of attempted sea crossings ported starting their voy- women and six children. It
Moroccan navy crews res- the hundreds of passengers to Spain so far this year. age in Libya more than says Many were severely
cued 424 migrants in the had serious health condi- An Italian migrant and two days earlier. Mediterra- dehydrated.
Mediterranean Sea on Sun- tions. It wasn’t immediately refugee program says 48 nean Hope says they didn’t Italy’s right-wing interior
day night and Monday. clear where the boats were migrants who reached specify how many people minister has refused to al-
The MAP news agency re- headed, but Morocco in- Lampedusa Island in a fish- perished on the way but re- low nonprofit groups’ res-
ported that the makeshift creasingly has become a ing boat told authorities ported the dead included cue ships into the country’s
boats carrying the migrants departure point for Europe- that some fellow passen- a 5-month-old baby and a ports but smugglers’ boats
were in trouble when the bound migrants. The North gers died at sea. man about the age of 30. carrying migrants continue
rescues took place, but it African kingdom has ad- Protestant church program The program says the mi- arriving at Italy’s southern-
didn’t give details. opted new tactics to re- Mediterranean Hope said grants are from Ivory Coast, most island on their own.q