IAS Fraud

[Guest guest]

On the heals of the " event managing " Event of the Intl Conf on AIDS, this

comes as disturbing, if not particularly surprising news.

M.

***

Date: Wed, 02 Aug 2006 12:13:20 +0000

From: " AIDS_ASIA " <AIDS_ASIA >

Subject: [AIDS_ASIA] Fraud in the IAS Governing Council election: Leaders

must

act now!

Fraud in the IAS Governing Council election. Leaders must act now!

If the International AIDS Society (IAS) Governing Council election

is taken as an example of the way in which IAS business is being

conducted, it shows an alarming decline in democratic ideals of an

international professional organization. Leaders must act now, to

redeem the integrity of the organization.

The IAS is the world's leading independent association of HIV/AIDS

professionals, and the custodian of bi annual mammoth gathering of

global HIV/AIDS stake holders. The IAS is expected to be governed by

an elected Governing Council. Recently, the IAS conducted an

election to the Governing council. But the result has yet to be

announced.

All the available evidence indicates that, in collusion with a

corrupt and dishonest, out going IAS Governing Council Member, some

of the IAS office staff in Geneva committed fraud. They created

bogus IAS voters list, committed conspiracy to cover up their act,

and trampled on the basic democratic rights of the IAS members. They

lied about it, when confronted with evidence.

Material evidence of the election fraud was supplied to the

president of IAS. Dr. Gayle.

This incidence raises some of the fundamental aspects of IAS's

Governance or lack of ethical soundness of its governance. IAS as

the custodian of the International AIDS Conferences sucks out

millions of dollars from the Global AIDS Response. Such massive

profit generated by IAS through the international AIDS Conferences,

is yet another reason for call for greater compliance with good

governance practices.

The difference between, a professional event management company and

a professional organization is its values and ethics.

Some of the IAS office staff is increasingly behaving like a private

event management company willing to resort to unethical practices.

And they are shielded by some of the elected IAS officials, from

calls for greater for transparency and accountability.

It appears that, some of the IAS office staff in Geneva has

demonstrated questionable levels of professional ethics. They are

untrustworthy and disrespectful to the professionals from the

developing countries.

IAS is a precious institution in Global AIDS response. It must not

be allowed to be reduced to an event management company.

Elected official of the IAS must act. Act now! To bring, greater

ethical compliance in the governance of the IAS.

The IAS Governing Council must constitute an enquiry into the

election fraud, without further delay, to salvage the reputation of

IAS as the world's leading independent association of HIV/AIDS

professionals.

AIDS ASIA eFORUM