Letter Sent To UN Secretary General Protesting Khaled Shahen Appointment

Online, July 10, 2011 (Newswire.com) - In turn of events related to his resignation from the post of the Goodwill Ambassador and Director of Middle East office for the Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina against Malnutrition (IIMSAM), Dr. Homoud sent a letter for Mr. Bank Ki Moon- the Secretary General of the United Nations urging him to initiate action against IIMSAM which is now under fire amid the controversy related to appointment of a convicted prisoner as Goodwill Ambassador of the organization.

The said letter which was also made available to the media stated "I have tendered my resignation from all posts of IIMSAM in defense of the principles of professional ethics and moral conduct which I have been upholding with unquestionable sincerity and integrity; as well as in protest of the appointment of Mr. Khalid Shaheen, a convicted prisoner, unlawful offender, criminal absconder as well as the betrayer of the legal sanctity of the Jordanian state system". In the letter Dr. Homoud urged the Secretary- General of the United Nations to initiate action against IIMSAM. The letter further states "I have never compromised with my zeal to serve the course of the human betterment with utmost faith in the noble values, righteous principles and, above all in my inner conscience. IIMSAM has violated settled principle of the United Nations mandating non-interference within State's internal matters and since it happens to be an Intergovernmental Observer to UN ECOSOC this act of IIMSAM is directly contravening the very foundations of United Nations Charter".

Earlier on July 10, Dr. Homoud in a sensational announcement on a live TV programme at CNBC-Arabia announced his resignation in protest of appointment of Khaled Shahen as Goodwill Ambassador of IIMSAM. He announced that he sent his resignation letter to IIMSAM headquarters cutting all relationship with IIMSAM forthwith.

"We are very proud of Jordanian support to United Nations and at this stage amid recent developments in context of the subject matter, we all Goodwill Ambassadors of IIMSAM from the Middle East region are feeling very humiliated. It is only to make you aware of the fact that the said appointment of Mr. Khalid Shaheen will only disrupt the ongoing processes of developmental initiatives undertaken in the Middle East region under the umbrella of IIMSAM, not to mention that it will definitely dent the reputed image this institution has created for itself and also the support and faith which people from different quarters of the Arab region have put into it", said Dr. Homoud.

He has urged the Secretary General to investigate the matter at his end to find the unwarranted practiced which might be involved in this scandal. "since, IIMSAM has miserably failed to determine the established procedures and guidelines of the United Nations against the corruption and corrupt practices, I hope, you, as the sole upholder of the internationally established norms and conventions, as the head of the most popular and accepted institution of the world, and as an authority over the attention of the whole world, will certainly take concrete steps to disallow the blunt contravention of the global treaties and norms that are binding on each and every nation-state or an organization, by an intergovernmental establishment like IIMSAM. I appeal to you to initiate appropriate action against IIMSAM for such professional transgression and violation of official obligations", said Dr. Homoud.

"I request for the urgency of your swift and explicit call on the Secretary General of IIMSAM to forthwith terminate the appointment of Khaled Shahen as IIMSAM Goodwill Ambassador and to stop violations of moral ethics and principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and explicitly enumerated in so many binding international instruments such as United Nations Convention against Corruption which mandates that corruption can be prosecuted after the fact, but first and foremost, it requires prevention", urged Dr. Homoud. In his letter Dr. Homoud has also raised his objection against the Diplomatic Passport issued by IIMSAM for Khaled Shahen and his family which is in direct contravention of settled principles of granting functional immunity as per Vienna Convention, 1961.

The appointment of Khaled Shahen who was convicted by the State Security Court (SSC), Jordan in July 2010 along with three other defendants in the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Co. (JPRC) expansion project corruption case to three years in prison for bribery has received harsh reaction in the entire middle east region and particularly in Jordan. On call of Dr. Homoud Jordanian people has dissented with decision of IIMSAM and has started communication with the Offices of Secretary General of the United Nations to lodge their protest with the United Nations.

Related Media