Ex-UN General Assembly head among 6 held in bribery scheme, A above admiral of the United Nations General Accumulation angry the apple physique into a "platform for profit" by accepting over $1 actor in bribes from a billionaire Chinese absolute acreage mogul and added businesspeople to pave the way for advantageous investments, a prosecutor answerable Tuesday.
John Ashe, a above U.N. agent from Antigua and Barbuda who served in the abundantly august
column as arch of the 193-nation accumulation from September 2013 to September 2014, faces tax artifice accuse in what authorities alarm a cabal with 5 others, including Francis Lorenzo, a agent U.N. agent from the Dominican Republic who lives in the Bronx.
U.S. Advocate Preet Bharara again acclaimed that it was aboriginal in the analysis and told reporters that as it proceeds: "We will be asking: Is bribery business as accepted at the U.N.?"
He added: "I wouldn't be afraid if we see added humans charged."
The prosecutor said Ashe "converted the United Nations into a belvedere for profit" if bribery opportunities were dangled afore him by Chinese billionaire Ng Lap Seng, 67, and others.
"We acutely just abstruse of the actual austere allegations this morning," Stephane Dujarric, agent for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, told reporters. Dujarric said Ban was "shocked and acutely troubled" by the allegations that "go to the affection and candor of the U.N."
Still, he challenged Bharara's insinuations, saying, "Corruption is not business as accepted at the U.N." He said the U.N.'s acknowledged administration and arch admiral were not abreast of the delving in advance.
Dujarric acclaimed that the admiral of the General Accumulation "does not address to the secretary-general and is absolutely absolute in functions."
Prime Minister Gaston Browne told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the government of the eastern Caribbean accompaniment of Antigua and Barbuda would absolutely abet with U.S. authorities. The antecedent government active Ashe.
"This has austere implications for the country. You're talking about an all-embracing belvedere for accord and all-around aegis getting acclimated for base purposes," Browne said.
Those answerable in the bent complaint apparent Tuesday in Manhattan federal cloister included Ng, who was arrested two weeks ago forth with his arch assistant, Jeff C. Yin, 29, a U.S. aborigine whose bond was revoked endure anniversary over allegations he aria to board afterwards his arrest.
Ng's attorney, Alex Spiro, said in a account that his applicant "committed no crime."
Lawyers for Yin and Lorenzo, 48, did not anon acknowledge to requests for comment.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James Francis set bond at $1 actor and ordered cyberbanking ecology for Ashe afterwards abnegation the government's appeal that he be captivated after bond as a flight risk. Francis acclaimed that two tax accuse backpack a absolute abeyant best amends of six years in prison.
"He has every allurement to flee," said Abettor U.S. Advocate Daniel Richenthal.
The prosecutor said in cloister that Ashe fabricated incriminating statements accompanying to the declared bribery arrangement afterward his arrest and added austere accuse were possible.
"It's acceptable traveling to get worse for him, and it's absolutely not traveling to get better," he said.
Robert Van Lierop said the aegis aggregation would "assert the abounding force of immunity" on Ashe's behalf. He aswell said his applicant capital to break and action to bottle his acceptable name.
"He enjoys a admirable reputation, not alone at the United Nations but internationally," Van Lierop said.
Van Lierop told reporters alfresco cloister he expects his applicant to be vindicated.
A bulletin for animadversion larboard at Lorenzo's mission was not anon returned. Lorenzo, Yin and Ng were ordered captivated after bail.
Diego Rodriguez, arch of the FBI's New York office, said the accuse should be a admonishing "to those who appear to the United States from added countries with bribery affairs or accoutrements abounding of cash."
According to cloister papers, the 61-year-old Ashe acclimated his U.N. positions to abutment a multibillion-dollar U.N.-sponsored appointment centermost that Ng hoped to physique as his bequest in Macau, area he lived, and to advice Ng accommodated government admiral from Antigua. Prosecutors said the appointment centermost would action as a array of digital operation for the apple body.
In a 2012 letter to the U.N. secretary-general about the center, Ashe answer Ng's business accumulation by name.
The arrangement abundant over the advance of about three years, from 2011 through 2014, prosecutors said.
Ng and his abettor had been captivated by federal authorities on accuse they aria about affairs for $4.5 actor in banknote brought into the U.S. over several years aboard clandestine jets.
Prosecutors say some allurement money adjourned capital airfare for Ashe, his wife and two accouchement to New Orleans, area they backward in an $850-a-night auberge room.
Other money, they said, was acclimated to charter a affluence car, pay his home mortgage, buy Rolex watches and custom suits, and assemble a $30,000 basketball cloister at his home in Dobbs Ferry, New York, area he was arrested Tuesday. He opened two coffer accounts to accept the funds and again underreported his assets by added than $1.2 million, admiral said.
Mogens Lykketoft, the U.N. General Assembly's accepted president, told reporters Tuesday that affiliate states would adjudge whether to actualize added accuracy for the apple body.
"Corruption has no abode in the United Nations or anywhere else," he said.
Prosecutors said two added arrested individuals were complex with Ng. They were articular as Sheri Yan, 57, and Heidi Park, 52, both aborigine U.S. citizens who abide in China and helped facilitate the scheme, prosecutors said. Both were ordered captivated after bail. Their attorneys did not animadversion alfresco court.
The United Nations has accepted for years that the appointment of the General Accumulation admiral had accuracy issues.
A U.N. centralized analysis warned in 2010 that some General Accumulation presidents had supplemented their office's budgets with "direct agreements" with affiliate states and that the presidents were not appropriate to address that money. It gave no details.
"The abridgement of accuracy apropos such funds may affectation a reputational accident for the organization," the analysis said.
John Ashe, a above U.N. agent from Antigua and Barbuda who served in the abundantly august
U.S. Advocate Preet Bharara again acclaimed that it was aboriginal in the analysis and told reporters that as it proceeds: "We will be asking: Is bribery business as accepted at the U.N.?"
He added: "I wouldn't be afraid if we see added humans charged."
The prosecutor said Ashe "converted the United Nations into a belvedere for profit" if bribery opportunities were dangled afore him by Chinese billionaire Ng Lap Seng, 67, and others.
"We acutely just abstruse of the actual austere allegations this morning," Stephane Dujarric, agent for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, told reporters. Dujarric said Ban was "shocked and acutely troubled" by the allegations that "go to the affection and candor of the U.N."
Still, he challenged Bharara's insinuations, saying, "Corruption is not business as accepted at the U.N." He said the U.N.'s acknowledged administration and arch admiral were not abreast of the delving in advance.
Dujarric acclaimed that the admiral of the General Accumulation "does not address to the secretary-general and is absolutely absolute in functions."
Prime Minister Gaston Browne told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the government of the eastern Caribbean accompaniment of Antigua and Barbuda would absolutely abet with U.S. authorities. The antecedent government active Ashe.
"This has austere implications for the country. You're talking about an all-embracing belvedere for accord and all-around aegis getting acclimated for base purposes," Browne said.
Those answerable in the bent complaint apparent Tuesday in Manhattan federal cloister included Ng, who was arrested two weeks ago forth with his arch assistant, Jeff C. Yin, 29, a U.S. aborigine whose bond was revoked endure anniversary over allegations he aria to board afterwards his arrest.
Ng's attorney, Alex Spiro, said in a account that his applicant "committed no crime."
Lawyers for Yin and Lorenzo, 48, did not anon acknowledge to requests for comment.
U.S. Magistrate Judge James Francis set bond at $1 actor and ordered cyberbanking ecology for Ashe afterwards abnegation the government's appeal that he be captivated after bond as a flight risk. Francis acclaimed that two tax accuse backpack a absolute abeyant best amends of six years in prison.
"He has every allurement to flee," said Abettor U.S. Advocate Daniel Richenthal.
The prosecutor said in cloister that Ashe fabricated incriminating statements accompanying to the declared bribery arrangement afterward his arrest and added austere accuse were possible.
"It's acceptable traveling to get worse for him, and it's absolutely not traveling to get better," he said.
Robert Van Lierop said the aegis aggregation would "assert the abounding force of immunity" on Ashe's behalf. He aswell said his applicant capital to break and action to bottle his acceptable name.
"He enjoys a admirable reputation, not alone at the United Nations but internationally," Van Lierop said.
Van Lierop told reporters alfresco cloister he expects his applicant to be vindicated.
A bulletin for animadversion larboard at Lorenzo's mission was not anon returned. Lorenzo, Yin and Ng were ordered captivated after bail.
Diego Rodriguez, arch of the FBI's New York office, said the accuse should be a admonishing "to those who appear to the United States from added countries with bribery affairs or accoutrements abounding of cash."
According to cloister papers, the 61-year-old Ashe acclimated his U.N. positions to abutment a multibillion-dollar U.N.-sponsored appointment centermost that Ng hoped to physique as his bequest in Macau, area he lived, and to advice Ng accommodated government admiral from Antigua. Prosecutors said the appointment centermost would action as a array of digital operation for the apple body.
In a 2012 letter to the U.N. secretary-general about the center, Ashe answer Ng's business accumulation by name.
The arrangement abundant over the advance of about three years, from 2011 through 2014, prosecutors said.
Ng and his abettor had been captivated by federal authorities on accuse they aria about affairs for $4.5 actor in banknote brought into the U.S. over several years aboard clandestine jets.
Prosecutors say some allurement money adjourned capital airfare for Ashe, his wife and two accouchement to New Orleans, area they backward in an $850-a-night auberge room.
Other money, they said, was acclimated to charter a affluence car, pay his home mortgage, buy Rolex watches and custom suits, and assemble a $30,000 basketball cloister at his home in Dobbs Ferry, New York, area he was arrested Tuesday. He opened two coffer accounts to accept the funds and again underreported his assets by added than $1.2 million, admiral said.
Mogens Lykketoft, the U.N. General Assembly's accepted president, told reporters Tuesday that affiliate states would adjudge whether to actualize added accuracy for the apple body.
"Corruption has no abode in the United Nations or anywhere else," he said.
Prosecutors said two added arrested individuals were complex with Ng. They were articular as Sheri Yan, 57, and Heidi Park, 52, both aborigine U.S. citizens who abide in China and helped facilitate the scheme, prosecutors said. Both were ordered captivated after bail. Their attorneys did not animadversion alfresco court.
The United Nations has accepted for years that the appointment of the General Accumulation admiral had accuracy issues.
A U.N. centralized analysis warned in 2010 that some General Accumulation presidents had supplemented their office's budgets with "direct agreements" with affiliate states and that the presidents were not appropriate to address that money. It gave no details.
"The abridgement of accuracy apropos such funds may affectation a reputational accident for the organization," the analysis said.
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