UN judge rules in long-running refugee agency investigator's case of retaliation

GENEVA – A judge has ruled that the U.N. refugee agency unfairly punished one of its investigators for documenting a rape case in Sri Lanka a decade ago.

U.N. Dispute Tribunal Judge Coral Shaw says former investigator Caroline Hunt-Matthes lost her job at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees due to retaliation and suffered other damages after she collected evidence in 2003 that an agency employee had raped a refugee in Sri Lanka.

Wednesday's twin rulings, which can be appealed, are critical of the U.N.'s accountability system, including its ethics office, and award Hunt-Matthes a year's salary and benefits, plus $58,000 for her damages and suffering.

Hunt-Matthes told The Associated Press that the long-running case is "a consummate story of abuse of power" by U.N.'s oversight unit.