UN calls for investigation into Al Jazeera’s allegations
The United Nations has termed recent allegations of corruption brought about in an investigative report by the media outlet Al Jazeera against senior officials in Bangladesh as “a serious matter that should be investigated by the relevant authorities.”
During the daily press briefing by the office of the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General on 4 February, a question was raised concerning Al Jazeera’s report about corruption in defence procurement in Bangladesh and also about the Bangladesh authorities’ claim that the certain spyware mentioned in the report was actually purchased for UN peace-keeping operations.
Responding to the question, the UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said they were aware of the investigations done by the media outlet “concerning allegations of corruption against senior officials in Bangladesh and the press release issued by the Ministry of Defence in Bangladesh.”
He went on to say, “the allegations of corruption [are] a serious matter that should be investigated by the relevant authorities.”
The press briefing elaborated that “Bangladesh is the largest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN peacekeeping operations. The deployment of such personnel is pursuant to specific requirements from the UN that are reflected in agreements with Bangladesh for each peacekeeping operation that they contribute to.”
However, concerning the procurement of electronic equipment mentioned in Al Jazeera report, the spokesperson said that UN peacekeepers do not operate “electronic equipment of the nature described in the Al Jazeera reporting.”
The spokesperson said, “The UN has not identified in any of these agreements a requirement for the capability provided by the operation of electronic equipment in the nature described by Al Jazeera in its documentary, and such equipment has not been deployed with Bangladeshi contingents in UN peacekeeping operations.”
“We have required in one peacekeeping operation, in line with the relevant UN intelligence peacekeeping policy, the capability to intercept certain types of communications as a measure to enhance the security of UN personnel in situations where security conditions warrant its use. This capability is employed strictly in accordance with UN Peacekeeping‑Intelligence Policy and under the operational authority of the Force Commander.”