UN Pacific Executive placed on Leave Amidst Allegations of “Unsatisfactory Conduct”

A senior United Nations Pacific executive has been temporarily removed from his post after allegations of “unsatisfactory conduct” were received against him.

The UN Resident Coordinator’s Office for Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu said the organization’s head, Sanaka Samarasinha, had been placed on “administrative leave with full pay”.

“Administrative leave is an administrative and not a disciplinary measure,” the office said in a statement to RNZ Pacific on Thursday.

“The organization has received reports of possible unsatisfactory conduct involving Samarasinha, and this matter is being analyzed and taken very seriously.

He added: “All due process rights will be respected. Given confidentiality requirements, no further information about the process can be provided.”

RNZ Pacific understands that the UN chief’s electronic devices were confiscated and he was also instructed to leave the country.

The UN office said Samarasinha’s term as resident coordinator ends this year and that his successor has already been chosen and will be presented to the Fiji government “for host country agreement.”

Meanwhile, the Pacific Regional Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Heike Alefsen, has been appointed as the interim UN Resident Coordinator while investigations continue.