UN tribunal lifts suspension of worker who leaked info to France on Central Africa abuse probe

BERLIN – A United Nations tribunal has lifted the suspension of a U.N. worker who leaked information to French authorities about an internal investigation into accusations that French soldiers in Central African Republic sexually abused some children they were sent to protect.

Anders Kompass, a Swede working for the U.N. human rights office in Geneva, was suspended last month and is under internal investigation. The U.N. says the leak was a breach of protocol, since it included the names of victims and witnesses.

The U.N. Dispute Tribunal, in a ruling dated Tuesday and posted on the U.N. website, ordered the lifting of his suspension. It said refusing to do so would mean "the harm done to (his) reputation will be irreparable and could not be adequately compensated (for)."