relating to them. It may be noted, in addition, that anothe r certifying officer in OCN established that numerous recipients fo r whom payments were handled by her, and who were not affiliated wit h SWAPO, routinely furnished the information and documentation required by OCN as a prerequisite to scholarship or social welfare benefi t payments. Following the report of the Commission, which conclude d that the alleged recipients were non-existent and that the Applicant had forged their signatures and misappropriated the funds, th e Secretary-General, in his discretion, decided to dismiss the Applicant summarily for serious misconduct. XV.On the record of this case, the Tribunal cannot conclude that the Secretary-General was acting on a mistake of fact in summaril y- 23 - dismissing the Applicant. Given the evidence, the Secretary-General was not obliged to believe the Applicant's assertions. Indeed, th e discretionary authority of the Secretary-General would have permitted summary dismissal for serious misconduct solely on the basis of th e repeated flagrant violations of U.N. financial regulations that were initially discovered by the au ditors and which the Applicant admitted having committed, without having regard to whether there was proo f that he had forged endorsements on the cheques. In the Tribunal' s view, a staff member, particul arly one occupying the position and the level of the Applicant, who engages in such conduct purporte dly at the verbal direction of a superior without obtaining specific an d unambiguous written instructio ns verifying his authority to do so, is per se guilty of serious misconduct if he is unable to establis h promptly by clear and convincing evidence that the alleged payment s were authorized, were actually made and were received by person s entitled to receive them. XVI.The Applicant's claim that prejudicial or extraneous factor s