WHO Syria boss accused of corruption, fraud, abuse, AP finds

Staffers on the World Health Organisation’s Syria workplace have alleged that their boss mismanaged thousands and thousands of {dollars}, plied authorities officers with items — together with computer systems, gold cash and vehicles — and violated the company’s personal COVID-19 steering because the pandemic swept the nation.

More than 100 confidential paperwork, messages and different supplies obtained by The Associated Press present WHO officers instructed investigators that the company’s Syria consultant, Dr. Akjemal Magtymova, engaged in abusive conduct, pressured WHO workers to signal contracts with high-ranking Syrian authorities politicians and constantly misspent WHO and donor funds.

Magtymova, a Turkmenistan nationwide and medical physician, declined to reply to questions concerning the allegations, saying that she couldn’t reply, “due to (her) obligations as a WHO staff member.” She described the accusations as “defamatory.” The complaints from no less than a dozen staffers have triggered one of many largest inside WHO investigations in years, at instances involving greater than 20 investigators.

WHO confirmed in an announcement {that a} probe was ongoing, describing it as “protracted and complex.” Citing points together with confidentiality and the safety of workers, WHO wouldn’t touch upon Magtymova’s alleged wrongdoing.
WHO’s Syria workplace had a funds of about USD 115 million final 12 months to deal with well being points in a rustic riven by battle — one by which almost 90 per cent of the inhabitants lives in poverty and greater than half desperately want humanitarian support.

For the previous a number of months, WHO investigators have been probing incidents together with a celebration that Magtymova ostensibly threw to principally honor her personal achievements on the UN company’s expense, her request to workers in December 2020 to finish a flash mob dance problem, and claims Magtymova “provided favors” to senior politicians in Syria, along with assembly surreptitiously with Russian navy, potential breaches of WHO’s neutrality as a UN organisation.

In one criticism despatched to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in May, a Syria-based staffer wrote that Magtymova employed the incompetent family members of presidency officers, together with some accused of “countless human rights violations.” In May, WHO’s regional director within the Eastern Mediterranean appointed an appearing consultant in Syria to exchange Magtymova after she was placed on depart — however she remains to be listed because the company’s Syria consultant in its workers listing.

Numerous WHO staffers in Syria have instructed the company’s investigators that Magtymova failed to know the severity of the pandemic in Syria and jeopardized the lives of thousands and thousands.

At least 5 WHO personnel complained to investigators that Magtymova violated WHO’s personal COVID-19 steering. They stated she didn’t encourage distant working, got here to the workplace after catching COVID and held conferences unmasked. Four WHO staffers stated she contaminated others.

In December 2020, deep within the first 12 months of the pandemic, Magtymova instructed the Syria workplace to study a flash mob dance popularized by a social media problem for a year-end UN occasion.

“Kindly note that we want you to listen to the song, train yourself for the steps and shoot you dancing over the music to be part of our global flash mob dance video,” wrote WHO communications staffer Rafik Alhabbal in an e mail to all Syria workers. Magtymova individually despatched a hyperlink to a YouTube web site, which she described as “the best tutorial.” Multiple movies present staffers, some carrying WHO vests or jackets, performing “ the Jerusalema challenge ” dance in places of work and warehouses stocked with medical provides, at a time when senior officers at WHO Geneva had been advising international locations to implement distant working when potential and to droop all non-essential gatherings.

Internal paperwork, emails and messages additionally elevate severe issues about how WHO’s funds had been used beneath Magtymova, with staffers alleging she routinely misspent restricted donor funds meant to assist the greater than 12 million Syrians in dire want of well being support.

Among the incidents being probed is a celebration Magtymova organized final May, when she obtained an award from Tufts University, her alma mater. Held on the unique Four Seasons resort in Damascus, the catered occasion included a visitor listing of about 50, at a time when fewer than 1 per cent of the Syrian inhabitants had obtained a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

The night’s agenda featured remarks by the Syrian minister of well being, adopted by a reception and almost two hours of reside music. WHO paperwork present whereas the occasion was known as to rejoice WHO’s designation of 2021 because the Year of Health and Care Worker, the night was dedicated to Magtymova, not well being employees. The value, based on a spreadsheet: greater than USD 11,000.

Other WHO officers raised issues about Magtymova’s spending, saying she was concerned in a number of questionable contracts, together with a transportation deal that awarded a number of million {dollars} to a provider with whom she had private ties.

At least 5 staffers additionally complained Magtymova used WHO funds to purchase items for the Ministry of Health and others, together with “very good servers and laptops,” gold cash and vehicles. The AP was not able to corroborate their allegations. Several WHO personnel stated they had been pressured to strike offers for fundamental provides like gas with senior members of the Syrian authorities.

The accusations relating to WHO’s prime consultant in Syria come after a number of misconduct complaints on the UN well being company lately, together with sexual abuse in Congo and racist behaviour by the highest WHO official within the Western Pacific.

Javier Guzman, director of worldwide well being on the Center for Global Development in Washington, stated the newest expenses relating to WHO’s Magtymova had been “extremely disturbing” and unlikely to be an exception.

“This is clearly a systemic problem,” Guzman stated. “These kinds of allegations are not just occurring in one of WHO’s offices but in multiple regions.” He stated although Tedros was seen by some because the world’s ethical conscience throughout COVID-19, the company’s credibility was severely broken by stories of misconduct. Guzman known as for WHO to publicly launch any investigation report into Magtymova and the Syria workplace.

WHO stated investigation stories are “normally not public documents,” however that “aggregated, anonymized data” in some kind could be made publicly accessible.