It is happening after close to 400 million Norwegian kroner, according to the UN itself, may have been lost. After several media reports in May this year, Norwegian Grete Faremo resigned as head of the UN agency UNOPS. – I don’t know the whole case, but it happened on my watch. I recognize my responsibility and have decided to resign, Faremo wrote in an email to his employees. Reported to the police in June Berlingske and Yle have previously reported that the Danish police received a police report from UNOPS this summer. UNOPS builds infrastructure such as refugee camps and hospitals, usually on behalf of other organizations in the UN. In 2021, Norway gave NOK 155 million to UNOPS, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is not publicly known who reported the UN organization to the Danish police on 14 June this year. But one month later, the Danish police forwarded the report to the National Unit for Special Crime (NSK), i.e. Danish Environmental Crime. NSK is conducting the investigation. They will not comment on whether individuals have been reported or what is being investigated. All UN employees have diplomatic immunity. It is the UN Secretary-General who must revoke this if employees are to be able to answer the police’s questions or be charged with an offence. The UN itself has also carried out an investigation into the scandal. Willing to cooperate with the police After Grete Faremo resigned in May, Danish Jens Wandel temporarily took over as head of UNOPS. INVESTIGATED: The UN has itself investigated Deputy Chief Vitaly Vanshelboim. He is now on leave. Photo: FN In an internal e-mail sent to employees on 15 July, Wandel refers to the FN’s investigation of former deputy chief Vitaly Vanshelboim. – We have received an update from the UN Secretariat. This is followed by a news story published in Denmark yesterday, which seems to confirm that there has been an inquiry to national authorities as a consequence of the UN investigation of the S3i chief, writes Wandel. S3i is a project in UNOPS which is under investigation by the UN itself, after several reports of concern and large financial losses. It was Faremo’s deputy manager, Vitaly Vanshelboim, who led the S3i project. FORMER CHIEF: Grete Faremo speaks as head of UNOPS in Sweden in 2019. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT / TT NEWS AGENCY In December 2021, Vanshelboim was laid off by then UNOPS chief Grete Faremo. Vanshelboim writes to news that he cannot comment on the matter. Faremo writes in an SMS to news that she has not been contacted by the Danish police. – No, I haven’t heard anything and haven’t answered any questions, writes Faremo. UNOPS’ communications staff initially say that they are not aware of any investigation. In an e-mail later, they write that they cannot comment on the investigation, but that they will cooperate with the Danish police. – The UN has an established policy of cooperating with the authorities to facilitate the correct administration of justice, says the e-mail from UNOPS. Possible loss of millions Earlier this year, it became known that UNOPS had lent 58.8 million dollars – over half a billion Norwegian kroner – to companies owned by the British businessman David Kendrick. The lion’s share of the money was to go to building houses in developing countries. Sources with in-depth knowledge of the UN’s budgets tell news that they have never heard of such large transfers to one company before. HEADQUARTERS: UNOPS’ offices in the so-called UN City in Copenhagen. Photo: ADAM MØRK / UNOPS So far not a single house has been built, and the UN’s internal investigation report shows that 39 million dollars may be going astray. Through his lawyers at the firm Carter-Ruck, David Kendrick says he still wants to build the houses the company committed to in the agreement with UNOPS. Faremo, who is a former Labor politician, led UNOPS from 2014 to May 2022. She resigned the day after the New York Times published an extensive article about financial defaults at the organization. The former Labor leader has been Minister of Justice and Minister of Defense in Norway. Last in the Stoltenberg government in 2013.
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UN agency under investigation by Danish police after Faremo’s departure – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
