Secretary General Defends Appointment of Corruption Official

Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, said on Monday that accusations by former officials that he had sought to subvert the independence of corruption investigations at the organization by appointing the body’s senior investigator were “unfair.” Responding publicly for the first time, Mr. Ban insisted that he had the right to make all senior appointments. He also said, “I’m the secretary general of the United Nations, dealing with so many global issues. Let us look at the broader picture.”