Former US prosecutor blocked from top post accuses UN chief of hiring bias

Ex-US prosecutor accuses UN chief of hiring bias

UNITED NATIONS — A veteran former U.S. prosecutor twice selected as the best candidate to lead U.N.’s investigation division has filed a grievance accusing Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of blocking his hiring because of discrimination based on gender and nationality.

The dispute over Robert Appleton’s appointment is the latest salvo in a high-stakes fight over how to fix the U.N.’s long-troubled internal watchdog agency.

Appleton was twice passed over for the top investigative job despite his selection as the sole qualified and suitable candidate during two global recruitment rounds.

He told a U.N. personnel tribunal this week that Ban’s refusal to hire him because of the U.N.’s failure to attract more qualified women or more diverse nationalities is a breach of the U.N. Charter and General Assembly resolutions.