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Fraud Storm Brews Over UN Weather Agency As Auditor Speaks Out
Geneva (AFP) May 09, 2007 The United Nations weather agency remained mired in scandal on Wednesday, as a former auditor asked to address its annual congress over an alleged fraud scandal involving some 3.5 million dollars (2.6 million euros). Maria Veiga, a former World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) internal auditor who claims she was fired after probing the scandal, alleged that the embezzled funds were partly linked to campaigns for elections of the agency's secretary general in 2003. The amount is equivalent to about six percent of the agency's budget. "The embezzlement of some 3.5 million dollars from WMO ... was for the purpose of influencing the outcome of election of the position of the WMO Secretary-General during the Congress in May 2003," she told a press conference. Veiga said she would welcome the opportunity to address the current WMO congress directly. At a subsequent press briefing, WMO chairman Alexander Bedritsky said he was ready to meet Veiga. The organisation's current secretary general, Michel Jarraud of France, ruled out however her addressing the congress directly. Jarraud denies any wrongdoing or connection with the affair, adding he was not a candidate for secretary general at the time in question. On Sunday it emerged that the regional prosecutor in Geneva, Daniel Zappelli, had opened another investigation into possible use of the embezzled funds to pay for travel by developing nation representatives and influence voting. Swiss secretary of state Michael Ambuehl told the opening session of the WMO congress on Monday that reform was urgently needed to restore the organisation's credibility. "The embezzlement case uncovered a few weeks after the previous congress has caused serious damage. "To tackle natural catastrophes linked to global warming, we need a strong WMO that is entirely focused on its basic mission," he said.
Source: Agence France-Presse Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Weather News at TerraDaily.com
At Least 14 Killed In Tornado In Southern Chad
Ndjamena (AFP) May 08, 2007At least 14 people were killed and more than 100 were injured when a ferocious tornado virtually wiped out the small town of Bebedjia in southeastern Chad, police said Tuesday. "A violent storm accompanied by a vortex (tornado) struck the town yesterday (Monday) evening. It began at around 4:00 pm (1500 GMT) and provoked general panic among the population," prefect Mbainodji Barthelemy told AFP in a telephone interview. |
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