Complaints of possible unsatisfactory conduct received by the Office of the United Nations to Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu led to its resident co-ordinator Sanaka Samarasinha being sent on leave.
In its response to queries, the UN said Mr Samarasinha was sent on administrative leave with full pay as the complaint was treated very seriously .
“The office can confirm that the UN resident co-ordinator to Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, Sanaka Samarasinha, is on administrative leave with full pay,” the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator to Fiji, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu stated.
“Administrative leave is an administrative measure, and is not a disciplinary measure.
“The organisation received complaints of possible unsatisfactory conduct implicating Mr Samarasinha, and this matter is currently under consideration and being taken very seriously.
“All due process rights will be respected. Given confidentiality requirements, no other information on the process can be provided.”
The UN office based in Suva also noted that Mr Samarasinha was coming to the end of his assignment and his successor had already been selected.
It also stated that the proposed candidate would be presented to the Government shortly for the host country agreement.
In the meantime, Heike Alefsen, the regional representative of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) for the Pacific, has been named as resident co-ordinator ad interim.
Mr Samarasinha took up the post in 2018.
