NZ scientist at centre of Pachauri allegations refuses to talk

The New Zealand climate scientist named in a British news article headlined "Pachauri: Money Laundering?", is today refusing to talk to the news media about the allegations.

Investigator Richard North writes at Eureferendum:

A British government department, DEFRA, has paid taxpayers' money to a British University which in turn paid it to the British subsidiary of an Indian research organisation, which in turn seems to have paid it to a New Zealand university scientist so that he could work for an international organisation based in Geneva – the IPCC.

Welcome to the bizarre world of climate change politics, where nothing is what it seems and governments indulge in behaviour which, in other circumstances, would look very much like money laundering. But, bizarre though it might appear, this is only half the story. The reality is even more convoluted - the word "bizarre" doesn't even begin to describe it.

The tale emerges from our trail of the millions salted away by climate change "hero" Rajendra Pachauri, and the role of TERI Europe, his outpost of Empire in London.

When we were first alerted to this payment from DEFRA of £30,417 by one of our forum members at the beginning of the month, we found it had been paid to Cambridge University, "to provide funding to TERI Europe to cover salary and travel cost of the head of unit responsible to produce a Synthesis Report of the IPCC AR4."

Given that the only link (we thought) between TERI and the IPCC was Dr R K Pachauri, we naturally assumed that the money was intended for the good doctor. We were wrong. That he was paid this money is denied by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) – which has taken over some duties from DEFRA.

The press office at DECC, however, has been unable (so far) to tell us to whom the money was paid. That information came from none other than Mrs Robins, aka Ritu Kumar, director and company secretary of TERI Europe. In response to our questions, she informs us that the money went to Dr Andrew Reisinger (pictured), whom she tells us, is currently a senior fellow at the New Zealand Climate Change Research Institute.

Andy, as he likes to be known, is a figure of some importance in the "climate community". As head of the Technical Support Unit for the synthesis report group of the IPCC, he was responsible to his "core group" co-author Rajendra Pachauri for co-ordinating the drafting of the "synthesis report" to the IPCC's Fourth Assessment Report (AR4).

The importance of this synthesis report cannot be overstated…(read more here)

Investigate magazine contacted Andy Reisinger on his mobile phone this afternoon, NZ time. He had not heard of the scandal breaking over payments made to him:

"I haven't heard anything, but actually I'm on parental leave until February 8 –"

It's looking at TERI which you have some links to

"Well, I mean, that goes back to when I was working for the IPCC, and as I say I'm currently on parental leave and I'm actually not terribly interested in the story"

But they're accusing the set up of being basically a money-laundering route to effectively pay you under the table, what's your response to that?

"I don't have a response to it because I'm currently on parental leave."

It doesn't bug you, doesn't concern you?

"No, it only bugs me that you called me while I was on parental leave".

Reisinger hung up on Investigate.

Guess it'll be another chapter in the upcoming new edition of Air Con

Comments

[CM]

If he had to take his kid to the emergency room for a hand injury though, I'm sure that would been acceptable. A kid actually being born isn't important.

Unbelievable.

Good on him for hanging up. I would too.

[Shane Ponting]

Probably because accountability is a foreign concept to you.

[Psycho Milt]

...behaviour which, in other circumstances, would look very much like money laundering.

Circumstances, for instance, where the purpose of the transactions was to conceal criminal activity? Well, yes indeed - just as many of the financial transactions of businesses would "look very much like money-laundering" if the purpose of them was to conceal criminal activity. In the absence of criminal activity of course, it's simply a series of financial transactions. So, do you have some evidence of criminal activity, or are we being asked to gasp in horror at some perfectly ordinary financial transactions?

[CM]

>>>Probably because accountability is a foreign concept to you.<<<

Based on what?

[Leon]

Timothy Geithner isn't a criminal either.
Its all lies.

[AT]

Psycho Milt,

When large amounts of tax-payers' money are being spent in an unnecessarily circuitous manner, then questions can and should be asked.

[Fred Lightfoot]

andy.reisinger@vuw.ac.nz
Next Sunday in the 'Telegraph' (UK) his world is about to implode.

[ozspeaksup]

Parental leave.. so important that something so crucial to the minor detail of "not having a job" to take leave from in future, become a new way to say?
"I need a lawyer before I will talk" :-)
hmm? his IPCC and funding may(does?) have a strong link to the fudged NZ temps too I am betting.

[w.r.h.west]

I wonder whether he paid any Tax on that income.

[CM]

I hear he keeps small children in his basement too. Despicable.

[mort]

ring him back on feb 9, he's not on parental leave then.

If he can;t answer questions then, perhaps a letter to the Ird commissioner to enquire whether the income was declared or not might be appropriate

[CM]

"In fact, far from being an alarmist, Pachauri was specifically chosen as IPCC chair in 2002 after the Bush administration waged a successful campaign to have him replace the outspoken Dr. Robert Watson, who was opposed by fossil fuel companies like ExxonMobil."

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/12/12/ipcc_report/index.html

I don't hear you all blaming Bush, or ExxonMobil. Funny that.

[Richard Prosser]

"who was opposed by fossil fuel companies like ExxonMobil"

What other kind of fuel companies are there?

Nothing biased or emotive in that little snippet, is there.

[CM]

>>>What other kind of fuel companies are there?<<<

I think you could say "such as" instead of "like".

>>>Nothing biased or emotive in that little snippet, is there.<<<

Not that I can see. I think you're making stuff up.

[BammBamm]

MAKING STUFF UP?

My Dear CM, if he has received under the counter monies, then VUW should have taken 'overheads' of around 7/12ths of this money.

This is the usual overhead wrought in New Zealand in which the unis skim monies off the top of researchers grants.

Now - here is where the real fun begins.
There will be records at VUW ... most definitely.

Taxation. He was paid, this money needs to be taxed - and the University should have records of its receipts. Along with his super scheme, and the rest of the gravy trickle down ...

Academics don't get paid directly it has to go through the university financial system.

While I'm not totally familiar with VUW books ... I would say that Mr Wishart has enough information about to fall into his hands to write another book.

Fraud and Science funding in NZ ... and the University Monsters.

There will be lots of money laundering, fraud, and trouble coming.