Staff at the Geneva-based International Telecommunication Union (ITU) are apoplectic over claims in Swiss business magazine Hebdo that the ITU's secretary general Yoshio Utsumi has been accused of financial mismanagement by official representatives of ITU member countries.

The allegations come just days before the ITU's major industry event, the Telecom World 2003 event in Geneva, which begins on October 12, and at a time when the ITU is having to face a future with less money and fewer staff.

ITU spokespeople contacted by Boardwatch describe the allegations, including claims that Utsumi is facing calls to quit due to a lack of financial transparency and problems with a proposed budget, as "completely wrong" and "a load of rubbish." One spokesman says the magazine's article is "full of errors" and "entirely speculative" and that the allegations "came as a surprise to us all."

But while the ITU promises to confront the magazine regarding alleged inaccuracies and misquotes, it would appear that the 2004-2005 ITU budget has had a rough ride this summer, having to undergo some surgery to make it fit for approval.

Read the complete story on Boardwatch.

— Ray Le Maistre, International Editor, Boardwatch