Fired UN official `owed apology`
UN head Kofi Annan was wrong to sack the only UN employee disciplined over the oil-for-food scandal, an internal investigation has found.
Joseph Stephanides was fired in May for breaching UN procurement rules over the Iraq programme. He denies wrongdoing.
The UN`s Joint Disciplinary Committee said Mr Stephanides had been a "sacrificial lamb" and was owed an apology, back pay and reinstatement.
An external investigation has stood by its criticism of Mr Stephanides.
Mr Annan fired Mr Stephanides after the investigation led by Paul Volcker found he had tampered with a contract by revealing information about bids.
Mr Stephanides asked the Volcker team to review its findings. It upheld them in its final report last month.
`Retire with honour`
But the UN Joint Disciplinary Committee reached a different conclusion.
It found that the information Mr Stephanides was alleged to have revealed was already public.
Its findings were leaked late on Thursday.
"This recommendation enables me to have an honourable retirement," Mr Stephanides told the Associated Press.
The 60-year-old Cypriot national had been coming up for retirement when he was fired.
The Joint Disciplinary Committee is an internal UN body composed of staff members and has a reputation for siding with employees against management, AP reports.
Its recommendations are not binding, but if Mr Annan does not act on them by Monday, Mr Stephanides has the option of taking his case to a higher internal body whose rulings must be obeyed.
The UN administered the oil-for-food programme from 1996 to 2003, when Saddam Hussein`s Iraq was under sanctions for having invaded Kuwait.
It enabled Iraq to sell oil as long as the proceeds were used to buy food, medicines and other humanitarian supplies.
The Volcker investigation found widespread corruption associated with the programme, partly due to a lack of proper oversight by the UN.
BBC.co.uk
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