UN Pension Chief Calls Fraud Allegations “Unfounded”

Ealier this week, the United Nations pension fund found itself at the center of fraud allegations relating to proposed governance changes, among other things.

Now, the top official at the UN fund is denying any wrongdoing and calling the allegations “unfounded”.

From ai-cio.com:

In a letter to members of the UN pension board and staff pension committees, Sergio Arvizú defended the proposal for policy changes that would shift major financial and management practices from the secretary general to his office—a move characterized by staff unions as a power grab.

“It is incomprehensible why the staff union and the fund’s staff representatives oppose and vilify the efforts of the fund’s governing bodies and management to improve the financial control environment of the fund,” he wrote.

The CEO also emphasized that these efforts were not only recommended by the pension board, but also supported by the General Assembly. There were rigorous oversight, monitoring, and checks and balances in place to review the draft for changes before implementation, Arvizú added.

Furthermore, the pension chief argued as part of a “smear campaign,” employee and union representatives rejected the policy changes “without even looking at the content or the merits.” They had spent just 18 minutes reviewing the material, the CEO claimed.

Read more Pension360 UN coverage here.