One million dollars embezzled from Kabul hospital project?
13 May 2008, 00:22, by Gary Helseth
It was not a pleasant surprise to see your story on the Kabul Hospital and UNOPS. It was especially disturbing to see you continue to misrepresent the facts.
First of all as you know – that project was not done by our office in Kabul – but directly by NY in early 2002 – BEFORE I had even set up the Kabul office. They used an Italian Engineer and worked through Italian NGO. So as you know I did not sign documents nor make payments. So that was the facts on my role.
When you asked my office for documents I went to InterSos and New York UNOPS office and retrieved documents and showed them to you.
Clearly they showed the million dollars in contracts and the substantial work that was done. UNOPS stood by that work and I relayed that to you.
So first of all the work was done and second of all if you continue to question it – why do you question me when you know that this work was not done by my office?
I noticed when we first met that you preferred your own “facts” rather than the truth – it is a shame as a professional journalist that you continue this and unfortunate that you have convinced your new ermployer to misreport the facts. They should simply check documents and dates to confirm what I say about my role - and the same documents will also show the substantial amount of work Intersos contracted .
These kinds of stories as well as the talk on elections is a dis service to the many many international and the 100,000 Afghans who worked very hard on these projects. I guess some people just want to point so many fingers at others so that their own hands(fingers) are full and maybe that is why they actually do nothing?
I have maintained the same email account for 15 years - the UN account is always terminated by the agency on separation. I did not leave Afghnaoistan 2 months after initail report - except on planned tarvel as I go in and out dozens of times each year from 2002 through 2007. I gave UNOPS notice of my intent to separate in late 2006 and it became official in 2007.
I have spent many years of my life in Afghnaistan and the country and people have always had a special place in my heart. I know that the many friends that know me disregard your type of journalism - but it still is upsetting when I realize that it is Afghans doing this after all the work we have put in.
It was not a pleasant surprise to see your story on the Kabul Hospital and UNOPS. It was especially disturbing to see you continue to misrepresent the facts.
First of all as you know – that project was not done by our office in Kabul – but directly by NY in early 2002 – BEFORE I had even set up the Kabul office. They used an Italian Engineer and worked through Italian NGO. So as you know I did not sign documents nor make payments. So that was the facts on my role.
When you asked my office for documents I went to InterSos and New York UNOPS office and retrieved documents and showed them to you.
Clearly they showed the million dollars in contracts and the substantial work that was done. UNOPS stood by that work and I relayed that to you.
So first of all the work was done and second of all if you continue to question it – why do you question me when you know that this work was not done by my office?
I noticed when we first met that you preferred your own “facts” rather than the truth – it is a shame as a professional journalist that you continue this and unfortunate that you have convinced your new ermployer to misreport the facts. They should simply check documents and dates to confirm what I say about my role - and the same documents will also show the substantial amount of work Intersos contracted .
These kinds of stories as well as the talk on elections is a dis service to the many many international and the 100,000 Afghans who worked very hard on these projects. I guess some people just want to point so many fingers at others so that their own hands(fingers) are full and maybe that is why they actually do nothing?
I have maintained the same email account for 15 years - the UN account is always terminated by the agency on separation. I did not leave Afghnaoistan 2 months after initail report - except on planned tarvel as I go in and out dozens of times each year from 2002 through 2007. I gave UNOPS notice of my intent to separate in late 2006 and it became official in 2007.
I have spent many years of my life in Afghnaistan and the country and people have always had a special place in my heart. I know that the many friends that know me disregard your type of journalism - but it still is upsetting when I realize that it is Afghans doing this after all the work we have put in.
Gary Helseth
May 13, 2008