UN Lawyer's Public Financial Disclosure Omits Swiss Subsidy He Now Admits Having Received
By Matthew Russell Lee
Inner City Press
March 17, 2008
The UN's chief legal officer Nicolas Michel admittedly took housing subsidy from the Swiss government, but his online public financial disclosure for the year 2006 does not mention this. The stated purpose of the online public disclosure is to "demonstrate that UN staff members understand the importance of the general public and UN Member States being assured that, in the discharge of their official duties and responsibilities, staff members will not be influenced by any consideration associated with his / her private interests." But Michel's receipt of housing benefits in the high five figures -- that is, clearly over $10,000 -- is not included in the public form.
Inner City Press sought has comment from Mr. Michel, and from Kofi Annan's previous spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who in 2006 told Inner City Press that one senior UN official was receiving housing subsidy and wanted to and would soon be stepping forward to explain his reason. That never happened, and Inner City Press on Monday morning sent e-mail to Messrs. Michel and Dujarric to
ask if that reference was to Nicolas Michel and if so for a statement on why, if the Secretary-General had ostensibly waived Staff Regulation 1.2(j) with regard to Mr. Michel, this was not disclosed at the time, in response to direct press questions? Also, when did the housing subsidy to Mr. Michel stop? To be upfront, and on deadline with this cc [to Mr. Michel], how does this date relate to Mr. Michel's online public financial disclosure form?
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Senator Tom Coburn
Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security
340 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-2254 Fax: 202-228-3796
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