August 16, 2019//-An internal UN refugee agency investigation into allegations of corruption in its Sudan resettlement operations has determined that a staff member abused their power by soliciting bribes from refugees.
UNHCR spokesperson Cécile Pouilly told The New Humanitarian in an email that the probe, which began early last year, has now concluded and that the staff member in question has been on administrative leave without pay since 15 March.
“The case has been referred to the Division of Human Resources in accordance with the process for disciplinary action,” Pouilly noted. “We expect the disciplinary process to be finalised soon.”
Witnesses who gave testimony during the investigation told TNH this week that they believe UNHCR’s conclusion downplays the pervasiveness of corruption within the Khartoum office. All of the witnesses asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.
“[There is] not just one criminal. This type of crime does not work with one person,” said one refugee. “There is so much going on, from [the] reception to [the] senior protection officer.”
A wider problem?
Two UN officials who have worked in Sudan, and asked not to be named, told TNH that rumours about money changing hands between refugees and staff in UNHCR’s Sudan operations have been around for decades.
One of the officials said it was hard to see how the internal investigation could find just one person guilty, “as opposed to identifying that there are weaknesses in the system”.
“[There is] not just one criminal. This type of crime does not work with one person.”
Pouilly said UNHCR has been implementing new measures to strengthen the oversight of their resettlement programme, in parallel with the investigation.
“This includes improving the registration and data management processes, particularly through the systematic use of our biometric management registration system,” she said. “Anti-fraud focal points have been appointed in different offices and specifically trained to address fraud in protection processes.”
In mid-May 2018, following 10 months of interviews with refugees and former UN staff members, TNH published an exclusive report detailing allegations of widespread corruption and exploitation of refugees by UNHCR staff and people who claimed to be brokers for them in Khartoum.
Among other alleged abuses, refugees and former staff members said some staff made refugees pay bribes of tens of thousands of dollars to be resettled to a Western country, a process that is supposed to be free and based on need.