The release of a highly anticipated ombudsman’s report about how the Claims Conference missed an opportunity in 2001 to detect a massive fraud scheme raises serious questions about governance at the Holocaust restitution organization.
The Claims Conference has blamed a now-dead regional director for bungling an early warning about a massive fraud scheme. But a document obtained by JTA shows top officials at the organization launched their own probe that failed to detect the scheme.
The way the Claims Conference handled an early warning of a massive fraud scheme within the organization is important to understanding who bungled the warning and whether there was a cover-up attempt.