US authorities have detained a United Nations procurement employee after his immunity was lifted to allow him to be questioned in connection with internal fraud charges, US Ambassador John Bolton said Thursday, according to DPA. The UN formally charged Sanjaya Bahel of India with misconduct in August and he has been suspended without pay since that time. Secretary General Kofi Annan lifted Bahel's immunity to allow the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to investigate the case and to enable a possible prosecution in the case. Bolton said the arrest involved "another piece of fraud in the UN procurement system" and was possible due to the close cooperation between the world organization and the FBI. The UN procurement system had been under investigation since charges of corruption emerged in its handling of purchases of humanitarian goods for the oil-for-food programme that was carried out in Iraq between 1996 and 2003. The UN said it had provided its own investigative report to US and Indian governments. The precise charges against Behel were not made public because of the pending investigation.
