Six charged in alleged U.N. corruption scheme

U.S. authorities Tuesday announced charges against six people in an alleged United Nations corruption and bribery scheme involving millions of dollars in secret payoffs to a former president of the world body's General Assembly.

The U.S. alleges John Ashe, the former U.N. ambassador for Antigua and Barbuda, accepted over $3 million in bribes and other payments.

Ashe allegedly took the money from business officials to back construction of a U.N.-sponsored conference center in Macau, China, and advance the alleged plotters' business plans at the U.N. and with senior Antiguan officials.

Other suspects charged include Francis Lorenzo, the deputy permanent representative to the U.N. from the Dominican Republic, Ng Lap Seng, a Chinese national and head of a real estate development company based in Macau, and Jeff Yin, Ng's chief assistant.

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