Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs is mystified by by a United Nations decision to demote Assistant Secretary General Andrew Toh and fine him two months' salary, a spokesman said on Saturday.
The 60-year-old UN career office from Singapore, who was once the UN's chief of procurement except for peacekeeping missions, learned of the demotion on Tuesday.
In January last year, the UN put Toh on fully-paid leave after the UN's Procurement Task Force alleged that he had mismanaged the leasing of two Peruvian helicopters.
The UN's Joint Disciplinary Committee exonerated Toh of the lesser charge of misleading the UN on the lease of the two helicopters.
Toh "is like a pedestrian deliberately hit by a speeding car as he crosses the street, only to be cited for jaywalking as he lies injured, while the culprit goes unpunished," the spokesman said, adding that the decision is "unjust and unfair."
"In more than 21 months of investigations, the UN was unable to find any evidence to substantiate spurious allegations of corruption or fraud against" Toh, the spokesman said.
Separately, the Panel on Discrimination and Other Grievances ruled that Toh had been subject to "harassment, discrimination, and intimidation and that he should receive an apology, reinstatement, and restitution," the spokesman said.
Both tribunals concluded that Toh had been denied due process and that his human rights had been violated.
The disciplinary committee concluded that Toh failed to properly declare his financial assets in 2004 and 2005, and that he had refused to comply fully with the secretary general's directive to disclose all his financial information to the procurement task force.
The committee recognized that Toh was reacting against harassment, discrimination and intimidation by the task force and recommended a supervisory reprimand for the non-disclosure of financial information and a sanction which would not go beyond censure.
"For unknown reasons, the recommendations from the UN's own tribunals" were rejected, the spokesman said.
Toh, who lives in the US state of Connecticut, has requested that the UN lift immunity on his accuser so that he can take legal action against him, but so far has been unsuccessful, the spokesman noted.
Toh is waiting to hear when and where he should begin his new duties as director. dpa ry aw
