Embattled World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz pledged on Friday to abide by recommendations of the lender’s executive board investigating a pay scandal, but left his future course of action unclear.
In a brief statement issued after a late-night announcement by directors, the embattled World Bank chief said he “welcomes the decision of the board to move forward and resolve this very important issue”.
Wolfowitz did not specifically indicate whether he would resign over the affair, despite calls from key World Bank staffers and harsh comments from some governments and activists over his role in granting a hefty pay package for his girlfriend, bank employee Shaha Riza.
But the statement said Wolfowitz “looks forward to implementing the recommendations of the Board”.
The statement left unclear the future of the World Bank chief, who has faced growing pressure since the revelations of his role in ordering a massive pay deal for Riza in 2005.
The board of 24 executive directors, after a late-night meeting, said it was continuing to review the matter.
“The executive directors agreed on a process to deal with the situation urgently, effectively and in an orderly manner,” they said in a statement.
Echoing a statement from World Bank ministers on Sunday, the directors expressed “great concern” over the affair, which has caused a rebellion among the World Bank’s 10Â 000 staff.
But they deferred any immediate action, calling for further investigation into “conflicts of interest and possible violations of staff rules” concerning Riza’s pay package when she was reassigned from the bank to the United States government. — AFP