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Hiroshi Nakajima, the director-general of the WHO, has ordered an investigation
into possible financial irregularities in the organisation’s activities.
According to the WHO, the inquiry was ordered ‘immediately after (the director-general)
was informed that financial irregularities involving certain contracts might
have occurred’.

The investigation will be carried out by internal auditors and by the
WHO’s external auditor, John Bourn. Nakajima will make the findings public.
A WHO spokesman refused to give further details of the inquiry.

President of the WHO’s executive board, Jean-Francois Girard told a
board meeting that he had been informed that possible irregularities had
taken place ‘over the past few months’. Girard said, ‘It pains me to see
the WHO’s image tarnished by detrimental rumours.’

Last month Nakajima was re-elected for a second term after a bitterly
fought campaign against his former deputy Mohamed Abdelmoumene of Algeria.
Executive board members from small developing countries were alleged to
have been pressured by Japan with offers of aid and threats of cuts in trade.