WHO official settles maid abuse case out of court
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A representative for the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Thailand has done an out-of-court settlement after being accused of keeping a maid in slave-like conditions, the defendant's lawyer said yesterday.
Yonas Tegegn, an Ethiopian WHO official based in Thailand, was accused of not paying his maid, who he had brought from Ethiopia, and confiscating her passport.
The maid’s lawyer Surapong Kongchantuk said Tegegn and his wife regularly beat the defendant.
Surapong confirmed 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 said.
Tegegn has never responded formally to the accusations, and calls to the WHO office in Thailand were not returned.
The organisation had said it |would take the allegations “seriously” when the case first came to light in March.
