WHO official settles maid abuse case out of court
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Bangkok (dpa) - A representative for the World Health Organisation in Thailand has settled out of court after being accused of keeping his maid in slave-like conditions, the defendant's lawyer said Tuesday.
Yonas Tegegn, an Ethiopian WHO official based in Thailand, was accused of not paying his maid, whom he had brought from Ethiopia, and confiscating her passport.
The maid's lawyer Surapong Kongchantuk said that Tegegn and his wife regularly beat the defendant.
Surapong confirmed that the case had been settled out of court on Monday, adding that the financial terms would not be disclosed.
"The defendant has transferred us the money, both for damages and bodily harm," he told dpa.
Tegegn has never responded formally to the accusations.
Calls to WHO office in Thailand were not returned.
The organisation had said that it would take the allegations "seriously" when the case first came to light in March.
