The United Nations has ordered eight staff members to take paid leave while the world body investigates fraud and mismanagement in purchasing for U.N. peacekeeping forces.
Four of those ordered Monday to take leave worked in the U.N.'s Department of Management. The other four were recalled from peacekeeping missions. The U.N. did not disclose the identities of the suspended employees.
United Nations peacekeeping missions around the world involve about 78,000 soldiers, police and civilians.
The irregularities were discovered by an audit that followed revelations of corruption and mismanagement in the oil-for-food program which allowed Iraq to sell oil to buy humanitarian goods.
The U.N. says employees cleared of wrongdoing will be returned to their posts as quickly as possible.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.