Rights expert not immune from charges

GENEVA (Reuters) - A United Nations human rights investigator charged in a Bangladesh anti-corruption drive has no immunity against the prosecution, a spokesman for U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Wednesday.

The charges laid in June against Sigma Huda, U.N. special rapporteur on trafficking in persons, "appear not to be related to, or otherwise fall within, her functions as special rapporteur," the spokesman said in a statement.

While independent experts are covered under the 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations in carrying out their research, it is up to the U.N. chief to determine whether they apply in each situation.