UNITED NATIONS, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- The U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services said Friday it has identified $37 million in potential savings and already recovered $15 million of it.
The annual report from the OIOS also said that it had made 2,700 recommendations, about half of which have been implemented.
Undersecretary-General Dileep Nair, the director of OIOS, said in a briefing to reporters, "The profile of the United Nations should be raised" to demonstrate leadership in the worldwide battle against corruption, especially, he said, in view of the gathering in December in Mexico, where countries will sign a U.N. treaty against corruption.
Asked about allegations of corruption in the world organization, he said: "We are no exception. I think it is a reflection of the numbers of people in it, the extent of our operations, the multifaceted nature of the operations, being not just one place, but all over the world."
Nair said a German national working for the U.N. Mission in Kosovo was tried and convicted for defrauding the world organization of $4.2 million and was serving a 3 1/2-year prison term. U.N. officials later identified the felon as JoHanns Dieter Trutschler.
