UNESCO Fails to Investigate Obiang Prize Money
UNESCO has no process to screen funds from prize donors to prevent money laundering, the Open Society Justice Initiative and partner groups have discovered after filing a complaint concerning the Obiang Prize.
More than three months since submitting a request for investigation to UNESCO’s Internal Oversight Service Investigation Section, the groups are still waiting for a formal response but have received unofficial word that the section considers itself unequipped to respond to charges of the gravity raised.
The request was filed jointly on June 10 by the Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos, Association Sherpa, EG Justice, and the Open Society Justice Initiative.
The request alerted the investigation section to the possibility that, in contravention of United Nations policies and staff rules, UNESCO may have accepted money representing illicit proceeds of corruption or other crimes, in the form of $3 million donated from the obscure “Obiang Nguema Mbasogo Foundation” to fund the UNESCO-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences.
The request documents several recent or ongoing criminal and regulatory investigations in the United States, France, and Spain, as well as a case before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, suggesting a pattern of suspected money laundering and other apparent acts of corruption by the prize’s donor, President Obiang, or his close affiliates. Taken together, such investigations raise substantial grounds for suspicion that the sources of the funds donated for the prize may be linked to illicit activities.
The full request for investigation, along with supporting documentation and follow-up letters, is available for download.
Even if not bound by national law, an institution such as UNESCO should, under UN principles, carry out its activities in accordance with internationally accepted anti-money laundering best practices.
However, in its report of September 10, the UNESCO Working Group on Prizes has highlighted a disturbing gap in the organization’s control systems, noting that “there is no specific procedure applied when the integrity of a private or individual donor of a UNESCO Prize comes into question.”
This has been made clear in the case of the Obiang Prize. Responding to informal inquiries, UNESCO investigative staff were unable to even confirm whether the purported donor, the Obiang Nguema Mbasogo Foundation, is a governmental or private entity. Scrutiny of the prize has revealed grievous systemic flaws in screening procedures for funds donated. This poses a serious risk to the integrity of the organization.
The Justice Initiative and its partners have urged the UNESCO not only to cancel the Obiang Prize, but also to reform its prize system more broadly. In light of these concerns, UNESCO should move swiftly to adopt financial controls that will prevent money laundering and restore the organization’s credibility.