LONDON (AP) 鈥� Staffers at the World Health Organization鈥檚 Syria office have alleged that their boss mismanaged millions of dollars, plied government officials with gifts 鈥� including computers, gold coins and cars 鈥� and violated the agency鈥檚 own COVID-19 guidance as the pandemic swept the country.
More than 100 confidential documents, messages and other materials obtained by The Associated Press show WHO officials told investigators that the agency鈥檚 Syria representative, Dr. Akjemal Magtymova, engaged in abusive behavior, pressured WHO staff to sign contracts with high-ranking Syrian government politicians and consistently misspent WHO and donor funds.
Magtymova, a Turkmenistan national and medical doctor, declined to respond to questions about the allegations, saying that she could not answer, 鈥渄ue to (her) obligations as a WHO staff member.鈥� She described the accusations as 鈥渄efamatory.鈥�
The complaints from at least a dozen staffers have triggered one of the biggest internal WHO investigations in years, at times involving more than 20 investigators.
WHO confirmed in a statement that a probe was ongoing, describing it as 鈥減rotracted and complex.鈥� Citing issues including confidentiality and the protection of staff, WHO would not comment on Magtymova's alleged wrongdoing.
WHO鈥檚 Syria office had a budget of about $115 million last year to address health issues in a country riven by war -- one in which nearly 90% of the population lives in poverty and more than half desperately need humanitarian aid.
For the past several months, WHO investigators have been probing incidents including a party that Magtymova ostensibly threw to mostly honor her own achievements at the U.N. agency鈥檚 expense, her request to staff in December 2020 to complete a flash mob dance challenge, and claims Magtymova 鈥減rovided favors鈥� to senior politicians in Syria, in addition to meeting surreptitiously with Russian military, potential breaches of WHO鈥檚 neutrality as a U.N. organization.
In one complaint sent to WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in May, a Syria-based staffer wrote that Magtymova hired the incompetent relatives of government officials, including some accused of 鈥渃ountless human rights violations.鈥�
In May, WHO鈥檚 regional director in the Eastern Mediterranean appointed an acting representative in Syria to replace Magtymova after she was put on leave 鈥� but she is still listed as the agency鈥檚 Syria representative in its staff directory.
Numerous WHO staffers in Syria have told the agency鈥檚 investigators that Magtymova failed to grasp the severity of the pandemic in Syria and jeopardized the lives of millions.
At least five WHO personnel complained to investigators that Magtymova violated WHO鈥檚 own COVID-19 guidance. They said she did not encourage remote working, came to the office after catching COVID and held meetings unmasked. Four WHO staffers said she infected others.
In December 2020, deep in the first year of the pandemic, Magtymova instructed the Syria office to learn a flash mob dance popularized by a social media challenge for a year-end U.N. event.
鈥淜indly note that we want you to listen to the song, train yourself for the steps and shoot you dancing over the music to be part of our global flash mob dance video,鈥� wrote WHO communications staffer Rafik Alhabbal in an email to all Syria staff. Magtymova separately sent a link to a YouTube website, which she described as 鈥渢he best tutorial.鈥�
Multiple show staffers, some wearing WHO vests or jackets, performing 鈥� 鈥� dance in offices and warehouses stocked with medical supplies, at a time when senior officials at WHO Geneva were advising countries to implement remote working when possible and to suspend all non-essential gatherings.
Internal documents, emails and messages also raise serious concerns about how WHO鈥檚 funds were used under Magtymova, with staffers alleging she routinely misspent limited donor funds meant to help the more than 12 million Syrians in dire need of health aid.
Among the incidents being probed is a party Magtymova organized last May, when she received an award from Tufts University, her alma mater. Held at the exclusive Four Seasons hotel in Damascus, the catered party included a guest list of about 50, at a time when fewer than 1% of the Syrian population had received a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
The evening鈥檚 agenda featured remarks by the Syrian minister of health, followed by a reception and nearly two hours of live music. WHO documents show while the event was called to celebrate WHO鈥檚 designation of 2021 as the Year of Health and Care Worker, the evening was devoted to Magtymova, not health workers. The cost, according to a spreadsheet: more than $11,000.
Other WHO officials raised concerns about Magtymova鈥檚 spending, saying she was involved in several questionable contracts, including a transportation deal that awarded several million dollars to a supplier with whom she had personal ties.
At least five staffers also complained Magtymova used WHO funds to buy gifts for the Ministry of Health and others, including 鈥渧ery good servers and laptops,鈥� gold coins and cars. The AP was not in a position to corroborate their allegations. Several WHO personnel said they were pressured to strike deals for basic supplies like fuel with senior members of the Syrian government.
The accusations regarding WHO鈥檚 top representative in Syria come after multiple misconduct complaints at the U.N. health agency in recent years, including and by the top WHO official in the Western Pacific.
Javier Guzman, director of global health at the Center for Global Development in Washington, said the latest charges regarding WHO鈥檚 Magtymova were 鈥渆xtremely disturbing鈥� and unlikely to be an exception.
鈥淭his is clearly a systemic problem,鈥� Guzman said. 鈥淭hese kinds of allegations are not just occurring in one of WHO鈥檚 offices but in multiple regions.鈥�
He said though Tedros was seen by some as the during COVID-19, the agency鈥檚 credibility was severely damaged by reports of misconduct. Guzman called for WHO to publicly release any investigation report into Magtymova and the Syria office.
WHO said investigation reports are 鈥渘ormally not public documents,鈥� but that 鈥渁ggregated, anonymized data鈥� in some form would be made publicly accessible.
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Sarah El-Deeb in Beirut contributed to this report.
Maria Cheng, The Associated Press
