WASHINGTON - The United States Friday urged World Bank directors to give embattled president Paul Wolfowitz a "fair hearing" as the former US official prepared to defend himself against favoritism charges.
US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack spoke as Wolfowitz faced a Tuesday night deadline from the board to respond to accusations he broke bank rules in arranging a pay and promotion package for his companion, a bank employee.
"Our concern is that the processes at the World Bank are such that Paul Wolfowitz has an opportunity to fully exercise his rights within the parameters of the World Bank and its regulations, and that he has a fair hearing," McCormack told reporters.
Wolfowitz, 63, is battling strong calls from inside and outside the bank for his resignation after the revelation last month that he personally engineered a massive pay hike and guaranteed promotion for his companion, Shaha Riza, upon becoming bank president in June 2005.
The State Department spokesman was referring to the bank's initial hesitation to grant Wolfowitz's request for more time to respond, after he was given two days upon receiving Sunday a bank panel's report concluding he had violated rules.
"There was a question about how long he would have to respond to what this ad hoc committee ... have found," McCormack said, citing World Bank regulations that allow at least five days to respond to accusations.
"He should have the amount of time that everybody else has in order to respond to these things," he said.
The bank said Wednesday that Wolfowitz, a former deputy defense secretary and an architect of the war in Iraq, was informed that he could present his side of the story to the board in person on Tuesday. His written response was due by Friday.
05/11/2007 18:12 GMT