WHO Syria head accused of corruption, fraud and abuse
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Sulaiman
- . October 21, 2022
- . Update: November 11, 2022 1:25 am
Staffers at the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Syria office have accused the head of WHO in country has mismanaged millions of dollars, plied government officials with gifts, including computers, gold coins and cars, according to investigation documents obtained by The Associated Press.
Over 100 confidential documents, messages and other materials that have been obtained by The Associated Press reveal that WHO officials told investigators that the “agency’s Syria representative, Dr. Akjemal Magtymova, engaged in abusive behavior, pressured WHO staff to sign contracts with high-ranking Syrian government politicians and consistently misspent WHO and donor funds”.
Complaints against the WHO Syria head from about a dozen of agency personnel have triggered one of the biggest WHO probes internally in years. WHO has confirmed of the complaints and has acknowledged of reviewing the charges against Dr. Magtymova. “It has been a protracted and complex investigation, with the situation in the country and the challenges of gaining appropriate access, while ensuring the protection of staff, bringing additional complications,” WHO said. “In view of the security situation, confidentiality and respect for due process do not allow us to comment further on the detailed allegations,” WHO said giving no further details about the timeline of investigation completion.
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Accusations of fund mismanagement against the WHO Syrian head
One of the allegations under investigation against Dr. Magtymova include a party organized by her in May in which she received a leadership award from Tufts University, her alma mater. The party was held at the Four Seasons hotel in Damascus and included a guest list of about 50. WHO documents show that the event was to celebrate WHO’s designation of 2021 as the Year of Health and Care Worker, but attendees allege that the event was exclusively devoted to Dr. Magtymova. The cost of entire event came out to be more than $11,000.
UN documents suggest she stayed in the suite from October 2020 to May 2022 at a discounted cost of about $450 per night, more than four times the price of rooms occupied by other UN staff. A hotel staffer said such suites normally cost about $940 a night, according to AP.
Accusations of abuse
Six Syria-based WHO public health experts have said that Magtymova called staffers “cowards” and “retarded” on many occasions. Even more concerning allegations are that Magtymova “provided favors to senior politicians in the Syrian regime and met surreptitiously with the Russian military, potential breaches of WHO’s neutrality as a U.N. organization”.
“Dr. Akjemal’s aggressive and abusive actions are negatively impacting WHO’s performance to support Syrian people,” one of the staffer said, adding, “Vulnerable Syrian people are losing a lot due to favoritism, frauds and scandals instigated and supported by Dr. Akjemal, which is breaking all trust (and) pushing donors away.”
