The WHO has been accused of conspiring with the Italian Ministry of Health to remove a report revealing mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Italy was the first European country affected by the pandemic. The report, compiled by WHO scientist Francesco Zambon and 10 colleagues from across Europe, was funded by the Kuwaiti government to provide information to countries that have not yet been affected.

The document, called “An unprecedented challenge: Italy’s first response to Covid-19, ”It was published on the WHO website on May 13, being withdrawn the next day, according to the cited source, who reported this in August.

The 102-page report said that Italy’s pandemic plan had not been updated since 2006 and that due to a lack of preparedness, the initial response from hospitals was “improvised, chaotic and creative “. It took time for official information to become available, the report added.

The document was allegedly withdrawn at the request of the WHO Deputy Director General for Strategic Initiatives, Ranieri Guerra. He served as Director General of the Italian Ministry of Health from 2014 to 2017 and was therefore responsible for updating the pandemic plan, in accordance with the new guidelines established by WHO and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control. (ECDC). . Guerra is among the scientists of the Italian government’s Covid-19 task force.

The outdated plan is a crucial element in preliminary investigations by prosecutors in Bergamo, the Lombard province hardest hit during the first wave of the pandemic, which could accuse authorities of negligence. Deaths from the new coronavirus in Italy topped 60,000 on Sunday, the highest number in continental Europe.

The researchers also use a report drawn up after the first wave of the pandemic by a retired army general, Pier Paolo Lunelli, who concluded that up to 10,000 deaths could have been attributed to a lack of anti-pandemic protocols.

Zambon, based at the WHO in Venice, was asked three times to speak to prosecutors, but the WHO prevented him from doing so, insisting that he and the other 10 researchers involved in producing the report should have immunity. Prosecutors only heard from Guerra in early November, but the content of the hearing was not released.

In this context, the WHO stated that regional prosecutors should follow diplomatic channels and that prosecutors’ requests should be made through the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Zambon’s most recent subpoena for statements was on December 10, but he was again barred from appearing before prosecutors, despite asking for permission.

“When I received the first summons, I reported it to the WHO legal office, and they soon responded that I could not go, being protected from immunity, even though I wanted to appear because I had something to say.” Zambon told The Guardian.

Zambon claims that Guerra threatened to fire him if he didn’t change the part of the text about the outdated plan. He said he had informed senior WHO officials about the threats and risks posed by the organization’s transparency and neutrality, but no internal investigation had been carried out. At the time, the WHO did not explain why the report was removed, but said last week that it “contained inaccuracies and inconsistencies.”

“The report did not criticize the Italian government, but highlighted the criticism it faces in managing the pandemic, based on the premise of the old pandemic plan, which was only” reconfirmed “and was not updated in 2017”, Zambon said. “The team checked this carefully and found that all the plans that came after 2006 were simply copied and pasted, no words or commas were changed in the text.”