Ex-Oxfam official denies organising orgies as Haiti opens probe

The Haitian government “wants to shed light on this issue and find those responsible, those who are involved in this case and, if found guilty, to punish them in accordance with the law,” Haitian Foreign Affairs Minister Antonio Rodrigue told reporters.

The prostitution allegations were not passed to Haitian authorities at the time of the probe, but Oxfam said Friday it had now passed on the names of the men involved.

The charity admitted Thursday it rehired one of those sacked in Haiti just months later and is now checking whether any complaints were subsequently made.

Gurpreet Singh worked as a consultant in Ethiopia from October to December 2011, a decision Oxfam said was “a serious error and should never have happened”.

Oxfam has denied allegations that it was not transparent about the scandal, which has led to the resignation of its deputy head.

The British government has warned that it could cut off funding for the charity, which amounted to around £32 million (36 million euros, $44 million) last year.

Retired archbishop and Nobel laureate Desmond Tutu announced Thursday that he had quit his role as an ambassador for Oxfam.

“The Archbishop is deeply disappointed by allegations of immorality and possible criminality involving humanitarian workers linked to the charity,” said a statement from his office in South Africa.

“He is also saddened by the impact of the allegations on the many thousands of good people who have supported Oxfam’s righteous work.”

A sex abuse complaint had been lodged against Van Hauwermeiren in 2004 when he was working for the British charity Merlin in Liberia.

The French charity Action Contre la Faim, for which he worked later in Bangladesh, said they were never made aware of those allegations.