THE United Nations likes to sell itself as a mentor of good governance. But the recent deep-sixing of a damning in-house report suggests it might more honestly advertise itself as an example of how to foster bad governance - and get away with it.
The report in question, labeled "strictly confidential," centers on alleged transgressions by longtime UN staffer Guido Bertucci, the director of - what else? - the UN good-governance office, the Division of Public Administration and Development Management.
In the 91-page document, dated May 13, the UN's anti-corruption task force accuses Bertucci of nepotism, favoritism, falsifying documents and diverting money in mismanaging a $2.8 million trust fund that was bankrolled by the Greek government.
Worse yet, the money was intended to enhance integrity in public service.
The UN investigators also accused Bertucci of obstructing their inquiry and urged UN management to consider holding him "personally accountable and financially liable" for any money misused, citing a figure of $34,000 in misspent funds. The Greek government wants hundreds of thousands in restitution.
So what has the UN been doing about this?
Waiting for it to melt away.
The Washington Times's Betsy Pisik broke the story on June 12, almost a month after the confidential report was finalized. She warned that sources familiar with the case expected the UN would do nothing stronger than place a note in the personnel file of Bertucci - an Italian who's due to retire at the end of this month.
