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U.N. Official Gets Two Salaries
A senior staffer of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was personally allowed to receive two full-time executive salaries, NewsMax's Stew Stogel reveals. In a rare and unusual arrangement personally approved by Annan, Mark Malloch Brown, a British national, received a salary as the secretary-general's Chef de Cabinet (chief of staff) and executive director of the U.N. Development Program, a post in which he had previously served. The unusual arrangement, which ended earlier this year, was confirmed by U.N. press spokesman Stephane Dujarric to Stogel.
In a January 2005 press statement by Annan, he justified Malloch Brown's dual salary role:
"The strong synergies between the two portfolios - consisting of a shared priority of management reform combined with the need to weld links between the development and security agendas in the run up to world summit (September 2005) - made sense initially for Mr. Malloch Brown to retain his UNDP post while working as Chef de Cabinet."
Annan's statement conveniently omitted, however, his decision to allow Malloch Brown to draw two salaries, making him the world body's highest paid international "civil servant."
"This is news to me, how can this be?" asked a senior Arab diplomat when told of the double salary.
U.S. diplomatic sources tell NewsMax the "double dipping" was also news to them and would discuss the matter with the State Dept. before issuing a public comment.
Senior U.N. sources tell NewsMax that Malloch Brown's double dip lasted from January 2005 to around June 2005, when a General Assembly budget committee stepped in.
Under the dual pay arrangement, Malloch Brown was grossing more than $300,000 a year, excluding cost of living perks that could have added as much as an additional $100,000 to his compensation.
That deal would have made Malloch Brown the highest paid UN official, exceeding Annan's pay by almost 30%.
It would also put the U.N. staffer at a pay level second only to the president of the United States at $400,000 annually.
The double salary is apparently not illegal under U.N. rules, but has raised eyebrows within the world body because of the agency's continuing fiscal problems.
The U.N. currently runs an annual deficit in excess of $300 million. The U.S. currently foots almost 25% of that bill and U.N. officials have been pressing the U.S. to help bail out agency.
Malloch Brown came to the United Nations in 1999, having served as the World Bank's chief spokesman in Washington.
Last December, as pressure built on Annan as a result of the Oil-for-Food scandal, the U.N. chief "asked" Malloch Brown to join his personal staff as Chef de Cabinet.
Malloch Brown, well known for his legendary press skills, was brought in to handle the Oil-for-Food fiasco after Oil-for-Food chief investigator Paul Volcker revealed that then-U.N. chief of staff Iqbal Riza had unilaterally shredded "key" documents related to the scandal.
Riza "resigned," allowing Malloch Brown to enter as a double-salaried U.N. official.
U.N. sources confirm that "MMB," as he is commonly called, was reluctant to accept Annan's "offer" to join Annan’s staff because it would mean more than a $60,000 annual cut in salary.
The U.N.'s solution was to pay Brown two salaries.
During a review of salaries by a General Assembly budget committee, the so-called "double dip" was ended.
U.N. rules state that the employee who has received double compensation must return the salary from the post he vacated. However, double compensation may be approved for a period of six months under some circumstances.
Brown relinquished his UNDP post in April.
It is unclear whether he intends to return any compensation to the world body.
Since becoming chief of staff, Malloch Brown has had mixed reviews.
In March 2005, after the first "preliminary" report by U.N. Oil-For-Food investigator Paul Volcker could not find any smoking gun pointing at Annan, Malloch Brown called a press conference to proclaim the UN chief "vindicated" and told the press, "It is time to move on."
That brought a stinging rebuke by Volcker, who denied that Annan "was vindicated." Volcker insisted that he could not "find" any evidence of criminality, but the investigation continues.
Last summer, Malloch Brown was again on the defensive as he repeatedly tried to explain a "living arrangement" he had negotiated with noted financier George Soros.
MMB disclosed that he "was renting" a mansion owned by Soros in Katonah, N.Y. Malloch Brown insisted he was paying "market value" for use of the mansion, which he disclosed was approximately $10,000 a month.
When reporters asked how he could afford such a rent when making only a chief of staff's salary (approximately $130,000 annually), Malloch Brown never gave a definitive answer.
The double salary revelation may shed light on that matter.
These latest revelations come as two senior Annan staffers recently announced their "retirements."
Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette announced she was leaving in February and senior political adviser Lakhdar Brahimi, who was the U.N.'s point man in Afghanistan, would step down later this month.
Since the Oil-for-Food scandal broke in 2003, Annan has fired or retired almost all of his personal staff.
The Secretary-General will conclude his second five year term on December 31, 2006.
He is not expected to seek an unprecedented third term.
A senior staffer of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan was personally allowed to receive two full-time executive salaries, NewsMax's Stew Stogel reveals. In a rare and unusual arrangement personally approved by Annan, Mark Malloch Brown, a British national, received a salary as the secretary-general's Chef de Cabinet (chief of staff) and executive director of the U.N. Development Program, a post in which he had previously served. The unusual arrangement, which ended earlier this year, was confirmed by U.N. press spokesman Stephane Dujarric to Stogel.
In a January 2005 press statement by Annan, he justified Malloch Brown's dual salary role:
"The strong synergies between the two portfolios - consisting of a shared priority of management reform combined with the need to weld links between the development and security agendas in the run up to world summit (September 2005) - made sense initially for Mr. Malloch Brown to retain his UNDP post while working as Chef de Cabinet."
Annan's statement conveniently omitted, however, his decision to allow Malloch Brown to draw two salaries, making him the world body's highest paid international "civil servant."
"This is news to me, how can this be?" asked a senior Arab diplomat when told of the double salary.
U.S. diplomatic sources tell NewsMax the "double dipping" was also news to them and would discuss the matter with the State Dept. before issuing a public comment.
Senior U.N. sources tell NewsMax that Malloch Brown's double dip lasted from January 2005 to around June 2005, when a General Assembly budget committee stepped in.
Under the dual pay arrangement, Malloch Brown was grossing more than $300,000 a year, excluding cost of living perks that could have added as much as an additional $100,000 to his compensation.
That deal would have made Malloch Brown the highest paid UN official, exceeding Annan's pay by almost 30%.
It would also put the U.N. staffer at a pay level second only to the president of the United States at $400,000 annually.
The double salary is apparently not illegal under U.N. rules, but has raised eyebrows within the world body because of the agency's continuing fiscal problems.
The U.N. currently runs an annual deficit in excess of $300 million. The U.S. currently foots almost 25% of that bill and U.N. officials have been pressing the U.S. to help bail out agency.
Malloch Brown came to the United Nations in 1999, having served as the World Bank's chief spokesman in Washington.
Last December, as pressure built on Annan as a result of the Oil-for-Food scandal, the U.N. chief "asked" Malloch Brown to join his personal staff as Chef de Cabinet.
Malloch Brown, well known for his legendary press skills, was brought in to handle the Oil-for-Food fiasco after Oil-for-Food chief investigator Paul Volcker revealed that then-U.N. chief of staff Iqbal Riza had unilaterally shredded "key" documents related to the scandal.
Riza "resigned," allowing Malloch Brown to enter as a double-salaried U.N. official.
U.N. sources confirm that "MMB," as he is commonly called, was reluctant to accept Annan's "offer" to join Annan’s staff because it would mean more than a $60,000 annual cut in salary.
The U.N.'s solution was to pay Brown two salaries.
During a review of salaries by a General Assembly budget committee, the so-called "double dip" was ended.
U.N. rules state that the employee who has received double compensation must return the salary from the post he vacated. However, double compensation may be approved for a period of six months under some circumstances.
Brown relinquished his UNDP post in April.
It is unclear whether he intends to return any compensation to the world body.
Since becoming chief of staff, Malloch Brown has had mixed reviews.
In March 2005, after the first "preliminary" report by U.N. Oil-For-Food investigator Paul Volcker could not find any smoking gun pointing at Annan, Malloch Brown called a press conference to proclaim the UN chief "vindicated" and told the press, "It is time to move on."
That brought a stinging rebuke by Volcker, who denied that Annan "was vindicated." Volcker insisted that he could not "find" any evidence of criminality, but the investigation continues.
Last summer, Malloch Brown was again on the defensive as he repeatedly tried to explain a "living arrangement" he had negotiated with noted financier George Soros.
MMB disclosed that he "was renting" a mansion owned by Soros in Katonah, N.Y. Malloch Brown insisted he was paying "market value" for use of the mansion, which he disclosed was approximately $10,000 a month.
When reporters asked how he could afford such a rent when making only a chief of staff's salary (approximately $130,000 annually), Malloch Brown never gave a definitive answer.
The double salary revelation may shed light on that matter.
These latest revelations come as two senior Annan staffers recently announced their "retirements."
Deputy Secretary-General Louise Frechette announced she was leaving in February and senior political adviser Lakhdar Brahimi, who was the U.N.'s point man in Afghanistan, would step down later this month.
Since the Oil-for-Food scandal broke in 2003, Annan has fired or retired almost all of his personal staff.
The Secretary-General will conclude his second five year term on December 31, 2006.
He is not expected to seek an unprecedented third term.