If you have been watching the real "final throes" of Paul Wolfowitz and his short career as a banker, you might enjoy the latest news. He has throughout maintained this was solely a cabal against him and also his girlfriend at the bank. This might be partially true as was observed famously about Nixon that even the paranoid have enemies. But in Mr. Wolfowitz's case there is enough hard evidence that despite helping start a war that was detested by almost the entire world he has been less than expert as a world banker and has shown ethics worthy of those he rails against.
The Financial Times is reporting today (in a rather strange change of tack)that although he had earlier indicated that the Bank's board was kept fully informed of the handling of his girlfriend's HR issues HE ACTUALLY MEANT HE WAS REFERRING TO AN ANONYMOUS EMAIL sent by an angry staff member to the board not any communications he might have sent on this important matter. What a joker! What a jerk!
The president of the bank said in a letter to a special committee investigating allegations against him that earlier assertions that the bank’s board was kept informed referred to an anonymous e-mail it had been sent by an angry member of staff.
Mr Wolfowitz’s letter was submitted to the board on Thursday before the findings of the special panel were completed, which is likely to be on Friday.
The panel is due to report on whether Mr Wolfowitz violated the bank’s ethics rules in his handling of the pay and promotion of his partner, Shaha Riza.
The board will consider the findings and possible action against Mr Wolfowitz next week after hearing his final response.
The letter sent on Thursday appeared aimed at least in part at avoiding a finding that Mr Wolfowitz and his advisers had attempted to cover up their role in the affair.
The letter by the president responded to testimony to the panel from two former senior World Bank officials. Roberto Daniño, the bank’s chief legal adviser at the time, testified that Mr Wolfowitz "incorrectly" awarded pay and promotions that "far exceeded, and were granted in addition to, those recommended by the ethics committee".
He said none of these additional "benefits were disclosed to or approved by the board, the ethics committee or the general counsel".
Ad Melkert, the former chairman of the World Bank’s ethics committee, told the panel that he wished to "reject any direct or indirect allegation or suggestion that the ethics committee was aware or should have been aware of the terms and conditions of Ms Riza’s contract for her secondment".
Mr Wolfowitz’s aides claimed in recent weeks that all arrangements concerning Ms Riza were made at the direction of the board and with the knowledge of the ethics committee.
Financial Times
It is clear he won't last another week.