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By Matthew Russell Lee, Periscope, Patreon

UN GATE, Jan 19 – Amid the UN Security Council's days-long failure back in July 2019 to even issue elements to the press about the airstrike on the detention center in Libya, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres was typically on a junket, spending the public's money without transparency while banning the Press that asked. That has continued.

 Now on July 19, from US State Department Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus, this: "Secretary Michael R. Pompeo met today with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Berlin. Secretary Pompeo and Foreign Minister Maas discussed ongoing international efforts to support a durable ceasefire, a return to a political process, and an end of foreign interference in Libya. The Secretary and the Foreign Minister pledged to continue strong support for Libyan sovereignty. Secretary Pompeo and Foreign Minister Maas also discussed U.S.-German coordination on a range of global challenges, including Afghanistan, and the need to counter Iran’s aggressive and destabilizing actions in the Middle East." And from Guterres? No read-outs at all.

on July 5 before Guterres' spokesperson Stephane Dujarric's UN Spokesperson's Office sent anything out his partner in censorship Al Jazeera reported a UNSC press statement. Banned Inner City Press noted it - then the French mission, not the president of the Council for July 5, tweeted it, echoed by France 24.

  Now on August 13, Guterres through his spokesman who has cancelled the UN noon briefing and refused Press questions issued this: "The Secretary-General has condemned in the strongest terms the car bomb attack on 10 August 2019 in Benghazi and emphasized that those behind the attack should be identified and held accountable. He has expressed his deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and has wished a speedy and full recovery to those who were injured.     We are not aware of any claims of responsibility for the car bomb. We will try to ascertain the facts behind the incident, including by conducting an internal inquiry.     The United Nations Security Council, in an emergency session on 10 August, also condemned the attack in the strongest terms.     The United Nations emphasizes that lasting peace and stability in Libya, including an end to the worsening humanitarian crisis, will come only through a political solution and the parties should engage in dialogue without delay. The UN continues to stand ready to facilitate that dialogue.     Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General  New York, 13 August 2019."

 Talking about phoning it in. Meanwhile unanswered are questions such as these, submitted in writing, including to Guterres' incoming Communicator Melissa Fleming: "August 13-3: On UN sex exploitation and cover up(s), as Inner City Press asked on August 9 without any response to day, This is a Press request that you immediately provide all if-asked and additional information about the new allegation of SEA announced at 12:01 pm today, apparently of SE by a Tanzanian "peacekeeper" in DR Congo - and also why previously published charges are no longer in the data to which UN Peacekeeping Conduct and Discipline points, including what if being done for these victims and any steps taken to avoid this constant repetition of abuse despite the SG's ostensible commitments. Again, are new allegations being buried elsewhere on the data page? Inner City Press is asking in writing because banned from the noon briefings and any follow up questions, now for more than a year. Today as before none of Inner City Press' written questions, including on Cameroon, have been answered. This is a request that you immediately confirm receipt of these questions." Again, as Dujarric's office closed on August 13, no answers, no response. This is the UN's cover up of UN sexual abuse, and it's now on Melissa Fleming as well. Inner City Press also asked, ".  August 13-6: Given that the SG's public schedules for August 2, August 5, August 6, August 7, August 8, August 9 and now August 13 are entirely blank, not even "all appointments internal" as before but just blank, given that Poland's Foreign Minister was not able to meet with the SG on August 3, nor Pakistan PR Maleeha Lodhi on August 7 (tweeting "As the SG is away"), please immediately state where the UNSG is, now and for the next three weeks, and at what cost to the public. Additionally, since public officials from Trump to de Blasio to Corey Johnson all disclose where they are, and given the UN system travel scandals at UNRWA, UN Women and previously UNEP, explain why Mr. Guterres' lack of transparency is not part of the problem. Given the Secretariat's communication failures, state when exactly Ms. Fleming takes over from Alison Smale, whether Ms. Fleming is still has stated on her profile at UNHCR (Chief Communications  @Refugees as of August 7) and if she is answering some/any of her e-mail there." Nothing. We will stay on this.

  On August 10 France called an emergency UN Security Council meeting. Inner City Press, still banned from entering the UN by Guterres now for 404 days went to check it out. There was no one in the $15 million mansion Guterres sometimes lives in, here (he's been missing for a week); Inner City Press cannot enter the UN (UN gate Periscope here), but there was only one person at 4:30 pm at the UNSC stakeout. Tweeted photo here.

  Guterres claims he has a zero tolerance policy on sexual harassment, but continues to reward UN officials who are charged with harassment. Inner City Press previously reported on Guterres promoting his official Fabrizio Hochschild Drummond of Chile, after sexual harassment in his own 38th floor office, to "Special Adviser of the Secretary-General on the Preparations for the Commemoration of the United Nations’ 75th Anniversary."   

  Guterres' is hypocrisy without borders. Today after flying to the UAE he has issued this, ending with countries on which hydrocarbon rich UAE is causing civilian death (Sudan, Libya, Yemen) - " The Secretary-General held separate meetings today with H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces; H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates; and H.E. Mr. Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future of the United Arab Emirates.     The Secretary-General expressed his appreciation to the United Arab Emirates for hosting the Climate Preparatory Meeting and for its strong support in mobilizing international action on climate change ahead of the Climate Action Summit in New York in September.     The Secretary-General also recognized the country’s efforts to invest in renewable energy, particularly solar energy.     They also discussed the tensions in the Gulf, as well as those in Libya, Yemen and Sudan." Hypocrisy without borders.

  Colin Stewart is accused of sexual harassment, covered up by Guterres official to protect yet another official - and Steward is about to have his UN contract extended at head of MINURSO, another of Guterres' failing peacekeeping missions. There is pushback by some UN staff and whistleblowers, but these people under Guterres are ignored and retaliated against.    

  While Stewart was Political Director at the UN Office in Addis Ababa the serious charge arose. In typical UN fashion a cover up began. But the charge gathered force and was soon seen as being inconvenient for Stewart's immediate supervisor Haile Menkerios.  

That's when the real cover-up team got active, including Kyoko Shiotani who Inner City Press has previously shown to have gotten her husband an entirely unmerited paid UN job on the UN website while serving as chief of staff to UN Political Affairs boss Rosemary DiCarlo.   

  More on Patreon, here: it's even worse than it looks...

   Downtown at the SDNY courthouse which Inner City Press now covers daily, Vivian Wang, who as money manager for convicted UN briber Ng Lap Seng's South South News made payments to disgraced President of the UN General Assembly John Ashe, was given a time served sentence on June 26 by U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York Judge George B. Daniels.

   Wang's lawyers at Goodwin Proctor, in a heavily redacted sentencing submission, stated that her deceased husband Forest Cao "was 57 years old adn had no known health problems of medical conditions. No autopsy was performed."

 It also says, as to UN President of the General Assembly John Ashe, that while awaiting trial on UN bribery charges "his death was reported as the result of a 'weightlifting accident' after a barbell apparently crushed his throat."

  After the sentencing, Inner City Press with covered the Ng Lap Seng trial before SDNY Judge Vernon Broderick daily asked Wang's lawyer Derek A. Cohen if he was implying that Forest Cao and John Ashe were killed, and why he had so heavily redacted this sentencing submission.

 "It speaks for itself," Cohen said by the elevators. Likewise the Assistant U.S. Attorney on the case Daniel C. Richenthal declined Inner City Press' question about who beyond Ng Lap Seng Ms. Wang had cooperated against.

 Judge Daniels did not preside over the trial of Ng Lap Seng. He accepted the government's recommendation of time served with very little inquiry.

  He said as if by rote that corruption of the UN is a serious matter. But if so, why should a person who paid bribes in the UN get such a light sentence with little public showing of the benefit of their cooperation?

   Corruption has continued at the UN since the prosecution of Ng Lap Seng, resulting in his four year prison sentence. A second, separately prosecution was brought against Patrick Ho of CEFC China Energy, an entity which also tried to buy the oil company of Lisbon-based Gulbenkian Foundation which employed current UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres as a compensated board member.

  Neither in the Ho nor Ng Lap Seng cases where any of the UN Secretariat officials implicated in the bribery schemes prosecuted.

  This laxity can be contrasted with another SDNY proceeding a mere hour later, in which Judge P. Kevin Castel looked behind the U.S. Attorney's Office's 5k1.1 cooperation letters and imposed jail time on the four siblings, the Seggermans, who evaded taxes. That underlying case was USA v. Little, 12-cr-647 (Castel). This bifurcated case is USA v. Wang, 16-cr-495 (Daniels).

 Vivi Wang helped bribe the UN, and on June 26 she got a time served sentence for undefined cooperation. Judge Castel looked behind the government's 5K1.1 letter but Judge Daniels did not. And the UN continues corrupt. Inner City Press will have more, much more, on this.

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