U.N. chief 'shocked' by charges against ex-General Assembly president

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was shocked by allegations that John Ashe, a former president of the United Nations General Assembly, took more than $1.3 million in bribes, Ban's spokesman said on Tuesday. "The secretary-general was shocked and deeply troubled to learn this morning of the allegations against John Ashe, the former president of the General Assembly, which go to the heart of the integrity of the United Nations," Stephane Dujarric told reporters. "Corruption is not business as usual at he U.N.," he said, adding that if the U.N. secretariat is contacted by U.S. authorities, it will cooperate with them. Ashe, the former U.N. ambassador from Antigua and Barbuda, was assembly president in 2013-2014. (Reporting by Louis Charbonneau; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)