UN staff fired over child porn, death threats

Another member of the prestigious organisation was sacked for transporting marijuana using UN vehicle

UNITED NATIONS, UNITED STATES: Four UN employees have been fired for storing child pornography on their UN computers, while another was sacked for transporting marijuana in a UN vehicle and another for threatening to kill a UN mission head, according to a UN management report.

The report, obtained by AFP on Friday, outlined some 60 cases of misconduct or possible crimes committed by some of the UN's 40,000 staff between June 2014 to July of this year.

Four staff members were fired after they "stored pornographic material, including pornography involving a minor, on the staff member's United Nations computer" and shared the images by UN email, according to the report.

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Another UN employee was sacked for using a UN official vehicle to transport about 173 kilograms of marijuana.

And another staff member's contract was terminated after he "repeatedly threatened to kill or suggested that the staff member could arrange to kill the head of mission."

Other crimes and misconducts that resulted in termination ranged from trying to attack a colleague with a knife to stealing $2,200 from the luggage of a passenger traveling on a UN flight to driving a tractor toward the office of a supervisor "with the intent of damaging the office and injuring the staff member's supervisor," the report said.

Four employees were disciplined for stealing fuel, tires or paper.

The report, by the UN Under-Secretary General for Management, did not provide details about where the staff were located.

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Eight employees suspected of criminal behavior were turned over to the authorities of their countries of origin, but there was no information on whether they were prosecuted for any wrongdoing.

The conduct of UN staff has come under scrutiny following allegations of child sexual abuse by UN peacekeepers. The management report, however, does not cover the conduct of troops serving in UN missions.