UN wants to investigation of corruption in Bangladesh's top officials

Staff Reporter: Stephen Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said there should be a proper investigation into allegations of corruption against top Bangladeshi officials. Stephen Dujarric, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, made the call in response to a question at a regular news conference on Thursday in the wake of allegations of corruption against top Bangladeshi officials in a report in Qatar-based Al-Jazeera on Monday. In response to a question at a press conference at the UN headquarters, he said the allegation of corruption against Bangladeshi officials should be investigated by the relevant authorities. He also disagreed with the explanation made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the use of electronic equipment by Bangladeshi soldiers in UN peacekeeping operations. "Such equipment has not been deployed with Bangladeshi contingents in UN peacekeeping operations," he said. Describing Bangladesh as the largest contributor of uniform personnel to UN peacekeeping operations, the spokesperson said the deployment of such personnel is pursuant to specific requirements from the UN that are reflected in the agreements with Bangladesh for each peacekeeping operation that they contribute to. The UN has not identified in any of these agreements a requirement for the capability provided by the operation of electronic equipment in the nature described by Al Jazeera in its documentary, he added. BP/SM