Deputy Minister: "Terrible to abuse UN resources"

Prosecutions are directed at several senior executives on abuse of power for personal gain.

Top executive Pierre Krähenbühl should have had a love relationship with a female employee whom he appointed as special advisor. The couple must have traveled extensively on expensive air tickets without the expense reported.

This information can be found in UNRWA's own internal report, the contents of which were revealed by Al Jazeera last summer. Already in December 2018, the UN Secretary-General received the allegations. But only in March this year was the UN's highest auditing body OIOS commissioned to investigate whether there were grounds for suspicion.

Deputy Minister Peter Eriksson (MP) believes that the investigation has taken a long time. Sweden has made demands in the UN that UNRWA chief Krähenbühl should step aside during the course of the investigation.

- If the information proves to be correct, the entire management should be replaced. But it is reasonable to first investigate the issue properly. It must not run out of time, says Peter Eriksson to SVT News.

Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium have suspended their payments to UNRWA so far.

However, the Minister for Development Cooperation believes that Swedish aid should not be withdrawn from the UN body.

- They have extremely important tasks to do. Lots of kids would not be able to go to school if we withdrew the money, he says.

How is confidence in the UN affected by allegations of abuse of power?

- It damages the UN's ability to create resources, but if you handle the issue properly and work out everything carefully, you can limit the effects of the damage.

Peter Eriksson has received assurances from the UN that the investigation into UNRWA will be completed during the autumn.

- It is serious when resources are misused. It must be one of the most important tasks that the UN and we have - reducing corruption, which is the biggest obstacle to development in poor countries, he believes.