Was there counterfeit money in the safe in Pyongyang and was UNDP operating in hard currency?
In late March, UNDP announced that U.N. and U.S. authorities were investigating how US$3,500 in suspected counterfeit US$100 bills ended up sitting in a safe in the UNDP office in North Korea for 12 years. An initial U.N. audit ordered by the secretary-general in response to the U.S. allegations reported in June that U.N. agencies paid North Korean staff and suppliers in euros without approval and hired only government-approved staff in violation of U.N. procedures. After the U.S. raised new allegations, Ban said he would ask U.N. budget officials to approve a further probe by the auditors, who were unable to visit Pyongyang. Morrison said the former UNDP worker — whom he did not name — was interviewed by the external auditors and met with UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis. “A lot of what he says, frankly, we’re not going to be able to settle on until auditors or independent authorities have access to the documentation which remains in Pyongyang,” Morrison said. He said if the audit does
