Posted on 04/12/2007 7:25:31 PM PDT by blam
World Bank chief fights for his job over pay deals for his girlfriend
By Edmund Conway in Washington
Last Updated: 2:15am BST 13/04/2007
Paul Wolfowitz: chastened and sombre
Paul Wolfowitz, the president of the World Bank and once a pillar of the Bush administration, was fighting to save his career yesterday when he apologised over pay rises and promotions given to his former colleague and partner.
Mr Wolfowitz admitted approving large pay rises for Shaha Ali Riza, a British woman of Libyan origin, who has been his partner since he separated from his wife six years ago.
Mr Wolfowitz was the intellectual architect of the invasion of Iraq and a leading thinker in the neo-conservative movement while in his previous job as deputy defence secretary.
When he became president of the World Bank in 2005, Miss Riza worked for the organisation as a communications officer covering the Middle East.
Under bank rules, no member of staff can hold managerial responsibility for their spouse or partner. Accordingly, Miss Riza was seconded to the State Department.
But to compensate for the disruption to her career, she was given promotions and pay rises bringing her salary to $193,000 (£97,662) - more than the pre-tax $183,000 earned by Condoleeza Rice, the secretary of state.
Shaha Riza: six year relationship with Mr Wolfowitz
It has now emerged that Mr Wolfowitz approved two large pay rises for Miss Riza, in breach of normal practice. The bank's administrative board was meeting last night to decide Mr Wolfowitz's fate.
Looking chastened and sombre, he used a press conference at the opening of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings in Washington to launch a comprehensive defence of his position.
"I made a mistake, for which I am sorry," said Mr Wolfowitz, 63.
"Let me also ask for some understanding. Not only was this a painful personal dilemma, but I also had to deal with it when I was new to this institution and I was trying to navigate in uncharted waters. The situation was unprecedented and exceptional."
Mr Wolfowitz, who left his wife of 30 years in 2001, admitted that he had overseen Miss Riza's career move.
"It was done in order to take responsibility for settling an issue that I believed had potential to harm the institution," he said. "My regret is that I did not more forcefully keep myself out of it."
The affair is particularly embarrassing for Mr Wolfowitz as one of his key campaigns at the World Bank has been to root out corruption and poor governance in developing countries.
His fate now hangs in the balance. The bank's board may order his dismissal. He said he would accept whatever decision it reached.
It is not the first time Mr Wolfowitz has courted controversy since taking over at the bank.
He has been frequently criticised by campaigners, who accuse him of political motives when it comes to handing out aid, for example by withholding cash from countries that are unfriendly to the US.
But he denied this charge, saying: "For those people who disagree with the things that they associate me with in my previous job, I'm not in my previous job. I'm not working for the US government, I'm working for this institution and its 185 [country] shareholders."
Mr Wolfowitz's woes are threatening to overshadow the agenda in Washington where he rounded on countries that have reduced aid to poorer nations in the past year.
What was painful about it?
He is almost certain to be replaced by someone much worse. The World Bank should be abolished. Needless to say, that is unlikely to happen.
Google reports his (alleged) affair with a another woman which caused he and his wife to separate while he was dean for seven years at the School of Advanced International Studies.
Hey Paul, stop spinning around like a circus clown.
You are an American first, and you disparage yourself and the United States of America.
What goes around comes around Paul.
I doubt you’ll be dining on bologna.
Paul, spare me your self-effacing testimony.
You sir are the core, like a pustule, that’s led to the current political environment.
Hey Paul, we all face a loss of a few bucks, I doubt you’ve ever lived in your car.
“Even the mighty shall be brought low.”
Wolfowitz, protect this nation first, then your allegiance to a trollop could have been passed by the wayside.
Except, you seem to lack an immutable factor of the human psyche, a conscience.
Enjoy Mr. Wolfowitz.
Hubris and arrogance spring to mind.
Some people always want others to pay for their floozies.
New to what?
I thought the story said he's 63?
Hasn't he figured out by now what we call "ethical" vs what we call "Stupid" or worse?
Isn't he old enough to stop thinking with his schwanz?
The getting caught part.
Translation: “I got caught” : )
“Isn’t he old enough to stop thinking with his schwanz?”
In a word, no : )
you know some neo-con hater was after wolf.
Just because someone was after him doesn't alter the facts.
what can i say?
the pubbies just keep stepping in it.
power corrupts?
Oh....There it is. This must proof he is a corrupt racist money grubbing corporate whore. Why else would they dump this little pointless nugget into the story?
A more principled man would have resigned by now. Of course, a more principled man would not have done this.
but you’re eliminating all democraps!
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