'Wolfowitz breached World Bank rules'
World Bank President breached bank rules in arranging a pay raise and promotion for his girlfriend.
By PTI |
WASHINGTON: A special inquiry panel has found that World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz breached bank rules in arranging a pay raise and promotion for his girlfriend, media reported here on Tuesday.
The bank ethics panel's findings have not been made public but unconfirmed media reports said the beleaguered top World Bank official has been given some 48 hours to respond, a time-frame that has been deemed too short by Wolfowitz's lawyer.
The panel has cited "violations" over the manner in which Wolfowitz went about arranging salary and promotion for his girlfriend Shaha Riza in 2005, the reports said.
Riza was at the World Bank before Wolfowitz came in June 2005. She was moved to the State Department to avoid a conflict of interest but stayed on the bank's payroll and her salary went from close to $ 133,000 to $ 180,000 and with further raises, it eventually rose to $ 193,590.
The panel, which has been meeting over the last several weeks, met again Monday and has sent a report of its findings to Wolfowitz, who will be given a chance to weigh in before the report is forwarded to the bank's board.
As the ongoing controversy in the World Bank continues to attract media attention worldwide, questions have been raised on its impact on the functioning of the international institution that focuses on elimination of global poverty.
Calls for Wolfowitz's resignation have been growing since the controversy broke out, especially from European countries.
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