WHO Syria boss accused of corruption, fraud, abuse, AP finds
LONDON (AP) ” Staffers at the World Health Organization™s Syrian office have alleged that their boss mismanaged millions of dollars, plied management officials accompanied by gifts -- including computers, gold medal coins with every one other accompanied by cars -- with every one other accompanied by acted frivolously while COVID-19 swept the country.
More than 100 confidential documents, messages with every one other accompanied by other materials obtained by The Associated Press show WHO officials told investigators that the agency™s Syria representative, Dr. Akjemal Magtymova, engaged inside abusive behavior, pressured WHO staff to sign contracts accompanied by high-ranking Syrian management politicians with every one other accompanied by consistently misspent WHO with every one other accompanied by donor funds.
Magtymova declined to respond to questions concerning the allegations, saying that she was prohibited from sharing details due to (her) obligations while a WHO staff member. She described the accusations while defamatory.
Complaints from at least a dozen personnel have triggered one of the biggest inner WHO probes inside years, at times involving additional than 20 investigators, according to staffers linked to the investigation.
WHO confirmed inside a statement that it has been reviewing charges made opposed to Magtymova with every one other accompanied by said it has too enlisted the assist of outer investigators.
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It has been a protracted with every one other accompanied by complicated investigation, accompanied by the circumstances inside the country with every one other accompanied by the challenges of gaining suitable access, while ensuring the defence of staff, bringing additional complications, WHO said. The agency said forward movement has been made inside recent months inside assessing the complaints concerning Magtymova with every one other accompanied by gathering pertinent information.
In view of the safety situation, confidentiality with every one other accompanied by esteem for due procedure do not permit us to remark further on the comprehensive allegations, WHO said. It gave no indeed timeline for when the investigation was expected to exist completed.
WHO™s Syria office had a budget of concerning USD115 million last year to address health issues inside a country riven by war -- one inside which almost 90% of the inhabitants lives inside penury with every one other accompanied by additional than fifty per cent of inside desperation need humanitarian aid. For some months, investigators have been probing allegations that Syrians were poorly served with every one other accompanied by WHO staffers were ill-treated:
” Financial documents show Magtymova on one occasion threw a communal gathering costing additional than USD10,000 -- a gathering held mostly to integrity her own achievements at WHO™s expense, staffers say, at a hour dated when the country was struggling to obtain coronavirus vaccines.
” In December 2020, inside the midst of the pandemic, she tasked the additional than 100 WHO personnel inside the country accompanied by learning a flash mob dance, asking officials to film themselves performing the choreographed steps for a U.N. party, according to videos with every one other accompanied by messages seen by the AP.
” Six Syria-based WHO condition health experts said Magtymova called staffers cowards with every one other accompanied by retarded on multiple occasions. Even additional concerning, the officials told agency investigators that Magtymova provided favors to older politicians inside the Syrian management with every one other accompanied by met surreptitiously accompanied by the Russian military, potential breaches of WHO™s neutrality while a U.N. organization. The staffers asked not to exist named for terror of retribution; trio have left-hand WHO.
In one objection sent to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus inside May, a Syria-based staffer wrote that Magtymova hired the incompetent relatives of management officials, including some accused of countless anthropoid rights violations.
Dr. Akjemal™s aggressive with every one other accompanied by abusive actions are negatively impacting WHO™s show to support Syrian people, the staffer wrote, adding: Vulnerable Syrian people are losing a a large amount due to favoritism, frauds with every one other accompanied by scandals instigated with every one other accompanied by supported by Dr. Akjemal, which is breaking all trust (and) pushing donors away.
Tedros did not respond to the staffer™s complaint. In May, WHO™s geographical director inside the Eastern Mediterranean appointed an acting representative inside Syria to replace Magtymova following she was placed on leave. But she is still listed while the agency™s Syria representative inside its staff directory with every one other accompanied by continues to sketch a director-level salary.
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Magtymova, a Turkmenistan national, formerly served inside a number of roles, including while the agency™s representative to Oman with every one other accompanied by while crisis coordinator inside Yemen. She assumed her position inside Syria inside May 2020, fair while COVID swept around the world.
What we (at WHO) do is noble, she said inside a statement upon her appointment. We gain esteem by competency, professionalism with every one other accompanied by the results we accomplish.
Numerous WHO staffers inside Syria have told the agency™s investigators that Magtymova failed to grasp the severity of the pandemic inside Syria with every one other accompanied by jeopardized the lives of millions.
During COVID-19, the circumstances inside Syria was deplorable, one former WHO staffer said. However, WHO was not providing sufficient assistance to Syrians. Medical supplies were normally focused on Damascus only, with every one other accompanied by not covering other areas inside Syria, where there was an acute shortage of medicines with every one other accompanied by equipment.
Syria™s health protected from danger keeping system has been devastated by additional than a decade of war; for years, the country relied almost exclusively on international health assistance. WHO™s presence inside areas controlled by the management has regularly raised censure that its assistance is directed by Damascus, which is sanctioned by the US with every one other accompanied by the EU. Nearly 7 million people are displaced by the war inside Syria with every one other accompanied by most exist inside tented camps inside areas on the far side of management control.
Staffers too questioned some of Magtymova™s own behavior with every one other accompanied by directives to staff while coronavirus cases spiked worldwide -- with every one other accompanied by flat while WHO™s leader claimed that the entire organization was employed tirelessly to place an extremity to COVID-19.
At least five WHO personnel complained to investigators that Magtymova violated WHO™s own COVID-19 guidance. They said she did not encourage faraway working, came to the office following catching COVID with every one other accompanied by held meetings unmasked. Four WHO staffers said she infected others.
In December 2020, deep inside the earliest year of the pandemic, Magtymova instructed the Syria office to learn a flash mob trip popularized by a communal media be brave enough for a year-end U.N. event. At the time, older WHO officials inside Geneva were advising countries to tool coronavirus measures including the suspension of some non-essential gatherings.
Kindly note that we want you to hear to the song, train yourself for the steps with every one other accompanied by shoot you dancing over the music to exist small portion of our global flash mob trip video, wrote WHO communications staffer Rafik Alhabbal inside an email to all Syria staff. Magtymova separately sent a link to a YouTube website, which she described while the finest tutorial.
Multiple videos show staffers, some wearing WHO vests or jackets, performing the Jerusalema challenge trip inside offices with every one other accompanied by warehouses stocked accompanied by medical supplies. Magtymova praised the extremely good looking with every one other accompanied by beautiful people inside videos made inside Aleppo with every one other accompanied by the port city of Latakia.
The following October, when the country was enduring one of its worst waves of COVID, Magtymova hired a choreographer with every one other accompanied by film firm to manufacture a video of staffers performing another trip to mark U.N. Day. Photos with every one other accompanied by video show there was no indeed communal distancing throughout the communal gathering Magtymova held for dozens of unmasked people, which included a cake-eating ceremony.
Magtymova posted one of the trip videos on WHO Syria™s communal media accounts, nevertheless it elicited so a a large amount of censure that her superiors ordered her to remove it. The video was disgraceful, said Anas al-Abdah, a leading Syrian opposition politician: The organization should have (instead) filmed the catastrophic condition of our people with every one other accompanied by demanded justice.
Magtymova, however, was unrepentant.
My message here is to inquire you not to exist discouraged, she told staff. We have an important position of employment at hand to perform with every one other accompanied by a enormous duty for people, we have done something really not here of (the) box: we dared to shine.
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Internal documents, emails with every one other accompanied by messages too lift solemn concerns concerning how WHO™s taxpayer-provided funds were used under Magtymova, accompanied by staffers alleging she routinely misspent restricted donor funds meant to assist the additional than 12 million Syrians inside dire need of health aid.
Among the incidents actuality probed is a communal gathering Magtymova organized last May, when she received a leadership award from Tufts University, her alma mater. Held at the exclusive Four Seasons innmotel inside Damascus, the communal gathering included a guest list of concerning 50, at a hour dated when fewer than 1% of the Syrian inhabitants had received a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
A innmotel invoice shows the reception™s bill of fare included Singaporean-style thew satay, fried goat cheese accompanied by truffle lubricant croquettes with every one other accompanied by sriracha chicken sliders, alongside a selection of seasonal mocktails. A manufacture firm was hired to film the event with every one other accompanied by build a promotional video, according to an inner WHO summary.
The evening™s agenda featured remarks by the Syrian minister of health, followed by a reception with every one other accompanied by almost set of two hours of exist music. WHO documents show while the event was called to commemorate WHO™s designation of 2021 while the Year of Health with every one other accompanied by Care Worker, the evening was loyal to Magtymova, not health workers. The cost, according to a spreadsheet: additional than USD11,000.
Like numerous other U.N. expatriate staff inside Syria, Magtymova lived at Damascus™ ornately decorated Four Seasons hotel. But different from other staffers, she chose to remain inside a spacious, multi-room suite accompanied by set of two washrooms with every one other accompanied by a panoramic view of the city. U.N. documents propose she stayed inside the suite from October 2020 to this past May at a discounted cost of concerning USD450 per night, additional than quartet times the cost of rooms occupied by other U.N. staff. A innmotel staffer said such suites normally cost concerning USD940 a night.
The innmotel was sanctioned by the U.S. with every one other accompanied by U.K. since of its owner™s part inside financing the management of Bashar Assad; the U.N. is estimated to have spent USD70 million there since 2014.
Other WHO officials were worried accompanied by the agency™s inability to track its support of health facilities inside Syria. In correspondence from January, staffers wrote concerning a worrisome spot inspect made to a health scheme inside northern Syria, noting discrepancies in the centre of what WHO paid for with every one other accompanied by what was found.
Among the issues identified: the medicines quantities checked were not matching the invoices, the staff did not have medical training, there were lost items including wheelchairs, crutches with every one other accompanied by hearing devices, with every one other accompanied by most of the building rented to store such supplies was empty.
Dr. Ahmed Al-Mandari, WHO™s geographical director inside the eastern Mediterranean with every one other accompanied by Magtymova™s boss, too chastised her for the Syria office™s lack of success to description for its spending.
In an email last October, he told her there were numerous unresolved audit with every one other accompanied by compliance issues. Al-Mandari said Magtymova had not completed some lengthy overdue reports detailing how money was actuality spent inside Syria that needed acute attention. Without those reports, donors had little proof Syria with every one other accompanied by WHO were using their resources while intended.
Three WHO officials associated accompanied by inside procurement told investigators that Magtymova was associated accompanied by inside some questionable contracts, including a transportation deal that awarded some million dollars to a supplier accompanied by whom she had personal ties. Another staffer said to exist near to Magtymova reportedly received USD20,000 inside money to buy medicines, in malice of the lack of some appeal from the Syrian government, which was normally required to trigger such a purchase.
At least five staffers too complained Magtymova used WHO funds to buy gifts for the Ministry of Health with every one other accompanied by others, including extremely good servers with every one other accompanied by laptops, gold medal coins with every one other accompanied by costly cars. The AP was not inside a position to corroborate their allegations. Several WHO personnel said they were pressured to strike deals accompanied by older members of the Syrian management for basic supplies exist fond of fuel at inflated prices, with every one other accompanied by were sidelined if they failed to do so.
The accusations concerning WHO™s top representative inside Syria go nearer following multiple misconduct complaints at the U.N. health agency inside recent years.
Last May, the AP reported that older WHO management was informed of sex abuse throughout the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak inside Congo nevertheless did little to place an extremity to it; a panel subsequent found more than 80 workers under WHO™s way sexually exploited women.
And inside January, the AP reported that staffers at WHO™s Western Pacific office said the region™s director, Dr. Takeshi Kasai, used racist language to berate staff with every one other accompanied by improperly shared sensitive coronavirus vaccine details accompanied by his place of residence country, Japan. In August, WHO removed Kasai from his pole indefinitely following an initial investigation substantiated some of the claims.
Javier Guzman, director of worldwide health at the Center for Global Development inside Washington, said the latest charges concerning WHO™s Magtymova were extremely disturbing with every one other accompanied by unlikely to exist an exception.
This is clearly a systemic problem, Guzman said. These kinds of allegations are not fair occurring inside one of WHO™s offices nevertheless inside multiple regions.
He said though Tedros is seen by some while the world™s ethicalsocial conscience throughout COVID-19 -- he repeatedly decried vaccine inequity with every one other accompanied by called for countries to take deed inside solidarity -- the agency™s credibility was severely damaged by reports of misconduct. Guzman called for WHO to publicly release some investigation report into Magtymova with every one other accompanied by the Syria office.
WHO said investigation reports are normally not condition documents, nevertheless that aggregated, anonymized facts are shared accompanied by its Executive Board with every one other accompanied by made publicly accessible.
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Sarah El-Deeb inside Beirut, Lebanon, contributed to this report.
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