Global Litigator: Due Process for Those Maligned in United Nations Reports

Download a printable PDF of this article.

Imagine that you are the CEO of a multinational company. Competition is a constant and, in an ideal world, fair; unfortunately, this is not always the case. What recourse do you have if your competition resorts to falsifying facts—for instance, by convincing others to make untrue allegations or by forging documents in an attempt to make it appear that you are an accomplice to terrorism? What if these lies result in you being wrongly identified in a United Nations (UN) report? This would be catastrophic for your personal reputation, as the CEO, and devastating to your company. Business deals and banking support are likely to evaporate, the government of the countries in which you operate may ostracize you, and your personal and business life could be destroyed. Now imagine your horror when you find there is no available legal recourse within the existing framework of the UN to clear your name from fraudulent allegations.