United Nations – The United Nations’ top elections official, Carina Perelli, was fired Tuesday after complaints that she sexually harassed subordinates and presided over a department that permitted such abuses to flourish, senior U.N. officials said.
Perelli, 48, was notified by letter Tuesday morning that she was “summarily dismissed” without pay for engaging in “sexual and professional harassment” of her staff. U.N. officials changed the lock in her office, froze her e-mail account and barred her from entering the U.N. headquarters without special permission and an escort.
The United Nations has never publicly detailed specific charges against the Uruguayan election expert. But the U.N.’s chief spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said they include “allegations of harassment, including sexual harassment and abuse of authority.”
Perelli denied harassing her workers in an interview Monday and vowed to challenge the decision.
The timing of the decision, coming about one week before the Iraqi election, was criticized Monday by John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, who said nothing should be done to disrupt Iraq’s Dec. 15 election. “Why make a decision 10 days before the election in Iraq?” Bolton asked. “If you’re going to make a decision, make it at an appropriate point.”
