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ICP
Asks UN If Ban
Knew Yan Paid
for Reception,
Who Waives PGA
Immunity?
By Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
series
UNITED
NATIONS,
October 28 --
While the UN
has been
extensively
corrupted by
Ng Lap Seng
and his Sun
Kian Ip
Foundation and
South South
News and South
South Awards,
his proposed
Macau
convention
center and the
South South
event held in
Macau in late
August 2015
provide a
snapshot which
the UN has yet
to explain,
despite Inner
City Press
asking again
on October 28,
below.
On October 28
Inner City
Press asked
Ban Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric about
a portion of
the FBI's
charge sheet
against John
Ashe -- did
Ban know that
now-indicted
Sheri Yan was
paying for a
reception in
September
2013? There
are more
receptions we
are looking
into -- and
who, if
anyone, can
waive the
immunity of a
President of
the UN General
Assembly. Video here; from the
transcript:
Inner City
Press: this is
about the John
Ashe
case.
One, in the
charge sheet,
which is now
nearly a month
old. I'm
sure you've
read it now or
seen it.
There's a
segment in it
in which John
Ashe, it is
said, that on
September 4th,
2013, he was
emailing to
Ms. Yan, who's
indicted, Ms.
Piao, who's
still waiting
to be…
detained but
not yet
indicted,
about a
reception.
And he said,
"Although the
Secretary-General's
office had
asked Ashe to
pay for the
reception in
its entirety,
Ashe told Yan
and Piao that
he warmly
welcomed your
generous offer
to pay half
the cost for
this
reception."
So the
question has
arisen whether
the "he" in
this sentence…
and I don't
ask you to
parse what was
written by the
FBI but to ask
you to know or
find out… did
the
Secretary-General
have knowledge
that Sheri Yan
and the Global
Sustainability
Foundation
were paying
for this
reception?
Who is it that
warmly
welcomed it?
Spokesman:
I think… as
you said, I
can't speak
for the
writings of an
FBI
agent.
What I can
tell you is
that the
Secretary-General
has asked for
an audit to
look at the
relationship,
financial and
otherwise,
between the
two… the
foundations
and various
parts of the
Secretariat.
So I imagine
all of that
will be
covered by
that.
Inner City
Press:
Sure, but he
doesn't need
to audit his
own
understanding.
I guess I'm
just asking
you… I know
he's
travelling.
But it's very
simple…
Did he know
who was paying
for it?
Spokesman:
If I have
something else
to add, I
will.
Inner City
Press:
The other one
it's arisen
because as the
case goes
forward,
obviously, the
immunity, the
state of
immunity of
Mr. [Francis]
Lorenzo and
Mr. Ashe is a
big
issue.
So it's said
that in oil
for food, for
example, the
UN waived the
immunity of UN
staff because
it was a
criminal case,
and countries
are free to
waive the
immunity of
their
diplomats.
So the
question is,
for the
actions of Mr.
Ashe while he
was PGA
[President of
the General
Assembly] and
Antigua
Barbuda
couldn't waive
immunity, I
wanted to
know, who
can? Can
the…?
Spokesman:
As you know,
the President
of the General
Assembly is
not a staff
member.
Inner City
Press:
Sure.
Spokesman:
It is not up
to the
Secretary-General
to waive his
immunity.
That is
something
between the
Government to
which the… the
country of
which he's a
citizen and
the United
States.
Question:
But is… I
guess what I'm
saying is the
immunity of a
PGA not based
on being
PGA?
Isn't that an
office that
carries its
own immunity…?
Spokesman:
It is not
under the
authority of
the
Secretary-General.
Inner City
Press:
But, does OLA
[Office of
Legal Affairs]
know… is there
a person in
this building
or now in
China,
actually, that
has absolute
immunity,
i.e.… because
he's not
operating
under his
country.
Mr.… for
example, Mr.
[Mogens]
Lykketoft is
not currently
a diplomat of
Denmark, so
it's not up to
Denmark to
waive his
immunity.
Who covers…?
Spokesman:
This is not an
issue for the
Secretary-General.
Why not?
Note that even
where a UN PGA
begins as a
representative
of his or her
country's
government,
that
government can
change, as was
the case for
John Ashe,
about whom
we'll have
more.
* * *
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