W.H.O. Dismisses Covid Origins Investigator for Sexual Misconduct
The World Health Organization dismissed a lead investigator into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic “following findings of sexual misconduct,” according to an agency spokeswoman.
Peter K. Ben Embarek, an expert on food safety and animal-borne diseases, was dismissed last year; the dismissal was reported by The Financial Times on Wednesday.
The findings stem from events that took place in 2015 and 2017, Marcia Poole, the W.H.O. spokeswoman, said in an email. The agency’s investigations team first learned about the allegations in 2018. At the time, “there was a significant backlog,” and the resulting investigation and administrative processes took several years, she said.
The agency did not provide further details on the nature of the complaints but noted that there were other allegations against Dr. Ben Embarek that “could not be fully investigated” because the victim or victims did not want to participate in the process.
Source: The New York Times
