U.N. Official Held On Charges Of Bribery
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
UNITED NATIONS — A central figure in Turtle Bay’s procurement scandal, Snjya Bahel, was ordered held without bail yesterday, pending a federal trial on bribery charges.
District Judge Denise Cote agreed with federal prosecutors that Mr. Bahel – who was fired by the United Nations last month and whose family lives in his homeland of India — presents enough of a flight risk to keep him remanded.
A U.S. attorney for the Southern District, Jacob Buchdahl, presented the changes that occurred since a $900,000 bail was set after Mr. Bahel’s arrest last November. His firing by the U.N. last month left Mr. Bahel without a diplomatic visa, Mr. Buchdahl said.
More important, a co-defendant, Nishan Kohli, pleaded guilty in December to charges involving a bribe paid to Mr. Bahel and is expected to be the star witness.
In the hearing yesterday, Mr. Bahel’s attorney, Richard Herman, said the prosecution asked Mr. Bahel “what he knew about Andrew Toh, others.” Mr. Toh, who is Mr. Bahel’s former U.N. boss, is currently suspended from his procurement department job, but he continues to draw a full salary.
The procurement scandal emerged when U.N. staffers complained about senior officials in the procurement department, alleging preferential treatment had been given to certain companies.
