Yemen Corruption Scandal Rocks UN Agencies
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A shocking report has emerged from Yemen, revealing widespread corruption and nepotism within the World Health Organization’s (WHO) office in the war-torn country. According to six current and former workers, WHO’s office under Director-General Peter Zagaria was riddled with corruption.
Corruption Within WHO Office
- Junior staffers were promoted to high-salary posts despite lacking qualifications.
- Two Filipino university students were allegedly given senior positions, only to spend their time taking care of Zagaria’s dog.
- Internal documents reviewed by the Associated Press (AP) revealed that Zagaria approved suspicious contracts signed by staffers with no competitive bidding or documentation for spending.
Nepotism and Abuse of Power
- WHO staffer Tamima al-Ghuly was accused of fabricating payrolls, adding ghost employees, and collecting their salaries or taking cash to hire people. Al-Ghuly has since been suspended but remains a WHO employee.
- Omar Zein, a deputy head of the agency’s Aden branch, received hundreds of thousands of dollars in aid money for his personal account. However, he was unable to explain how he spent more than half of the funds.
Corruption Beyond WHO
- UNICEF is investigating Khurram Javed, a Pakistani national suspected of letting a senior Houthi official use an agency vehicle, effectively giving him protection from airstrikes.
- The scandal has sparked concerns about the impartiality of UN agencies in Yemen, with aid officials saying that the inability or unwillingness to address corruption harms their efforts to help affected civilians.
Reactions and Investigations
- WHO has suspended Al-Ghuly but has not commented on the other allegations.
- UNICEF officials confirmed an ongoing probe into Javed, who has been transferred to another office.
Impact of Corruption
- The Yemen conflict has left millions of people in need of humanitarian aid, and corruption scandals like this may undermine efforts to provide effective assistance.
- The scandal has raised concerns about the effectiveness of UN agencies in providing aid to those affected by the conflict.
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