His letter: I am no saint

‘I AM not perfect, I am not a saint – I am a man of flesh and blood, and have made mistakes (not easy to admit), and I am deeply ashamed.

‘I indeed admitted to investigators that I had three times intimate contact in my house.

‘It was, in my opinion, a mature honorable lady, not an earthquake victim and no prostitute, whom I had met since I supported her young sister and very young mother with diapers and powdered milk. I never gave them money ... I also had frequent visits from a language prof (a lady), my driver, the younger brother, sisters and grandmother of the young lady in question.

‘There were also frequent attempts by ladies and gentlemen to enter my house with all sorts of excuses ... to ask for money, to offer a job ... or sexual services. (Should I have lied ????) I never accepted those advances.

‘I have never visited ... a brothel, nightclub or bar in the city or this country.

‘I offered my resignation for the following reasons:

‘ 1. I should indeed have acted harder and faster when the rumours had spread. I found and still find this a lack in my leadership,

‘2. Through my relationship with the lady I fed the rumors that I was also involved in such scandals (i.e. the parties or prostitution visit). As director I should have given the example and I had compromised the organisation and myself.

‘3. I had already been in dispute with Oxfam for technical matters before and the facts above made up the barrel.’

His letter concluded with a condemnation of sex parties with prostitutes as ‘reprehensible’ and stating his support for punishing any offenders. He also expressed concern that the crisis with Oxfam could now threaten its work.