Reports Fault U.N. Watchdog Unit

In a 45-page report, Girodo found that a "toxic" atmosphere drove some investigators to depart. The review, also commissioned by Ahlenius and completed in July, was based on interviews and questionnaires involving more than 100 former and current employees in New York, Vienna and Nairobi.

"Uniformity and conformity take precedence over suggestions for innovation and progress. . . . We still see this today for the habits of nearly 12 years of authoritarian and intimidating leadership do not dissolve with the departure of its founder," the Girodo report said.

"It's hard to respond to 'authoritarian' -- I don't know what that means," Dixon said in a telephone interview last Saturday. "Did we have high standards? Did we require people to live up to those standards? Yes, because the ramifications of our findings are pretty broad, like having someone hauled off to jail, peacekeepers sent back home in disgrace. . . . We had very high standards. If people didn't live up to them, they didn't belong here. Is that authoritarian? I don't think so."

Dixon said the reviews did not mention the division's accomplishments over the past decade, including investigations that led to prosecutions in Africa, Europe and North America and the conviction of three individuals. She said an investigation into sexual harassment allegations concerning Ruud Lubbers led to his resignation as high commissioner for refugees.

Dixon said she was not interviewed for the reviews and dismissed many of the allegations as "adjectives and verbs." She said allegations that the division had no standard operating procedures and blocked investigators from initiating cases "are clearly inaccurate."

She said the reviewers provided no evidence of tampering, work delays or staff flight. "Very few investigators left during my tenure," she said. "We had a management structure to ensure that procedures were followed and quality maintained."

Dixon defended her handling of the Bahel investigation, saying she played a critical role in establishing the procurement task force that helped uncover evidence of his bribery. But Dixon's division recommended Bahel "be cleared of the allegations against him" in December 2004. And her department also initially refused to provide the task force all documents, e-mails and access to computer files it sought, according to e-mails obtained by The Post, handing them over to the task force only after Ahlenius demanded them. Dixon said she was concerned that the release of sensitive information would set a bad precedent.

Attempts to reach Gough for comment through a former associate and by e-mail were unsuccessful.