Solheim repays NOK 50,000 in expenses to the UN
Head of the UN climate program and former leader of the Norwegian Socialist Party, Erik Solheim, repays NOK 50.000 after the UN internal auditors found discrepancies in a travel expense claim, according to VG.
According to VG, this is revealed in an email from Solheim to his co-workers at his UN office in Nairobi, Kenya on Monday.
Aftenposten wrote last week about how the UN’s internal audit, in its draft report regarding the UN Environment Program (UNEP), states that Solheim shows too little regard for the environment, the regulations and the budget. The audit also suggests that he pays back some of the money he has spent on his journeys. It is in light of this criticism that the email is sent.
In the email, it is revealed that the auditors earlier this year found three noteworthy discrepancies in Solheim’s travel claims.
Sick mother
According to Solheim, it amounts to NOK 50,000 in extra expenses related to privately extending his stay in Norway when his mother was on her deathbed last spring.
– The money is repaid, says Solheim to VG.
He rejects criticism of him saying that all his travels have been after an invitation by one or more member states, for international conferences – such as the climate negotiations – or to the UN General Assembly in New York.
– Travelling is vital to engaging member states, businesses and the civil society for the environment. I have nothing to hide, he says.
As the Head of the UN Environment Program, Solheim spent NOK 4.1 million on 529 days of travel, several of the trips were claimed for without sufficient documentation that he was actually on official business.
© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today
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