Argentina voted to remove Mauricio Claver Carrone as head of the Islamic Development Bank

Washington. – Argentina voted to dismiss the president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Mauricio Claver Carone, Official sources told LA NACION, in a hypothetical vote in the Board of Governors, that Will confirm in the coming days the displacement from the head of the bankWorld Health Organization He lost political support for the White House and the region due to a moral scandal that caused his downfall.

The United States, Brazil and Argentina, the bank’s three main partners, had already spoken in favor of his dismissal last Thursday., when 14 directors of the Islamic Development Bank’s Executive Board, representing 48 members, voted unanimously to terminate the Claver-Carone contract. The directors then submitted their recommendation to the Board of Governors, which began a virtual vote. In Washington, Claver Carone is supposed to be ejected from his chair.

The person responsible for voting for Argentina is the Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, who represents the country before the board of governors of the multilateral organization.

The decision to proceed with the dismissal of Clavier Carouni as head of the Islamic Development Bank Finished pregnant this week, but spun for several months.

In March, an anonymous complaint that reached the IDB Executive Board via email accused Claver Karouni of violating the bank’s ethical rules. The board The Davis Polk Company was hired to conduct an independent investigation. This week, the company submitted its final report, with evidence that Claver Carone had an affair with its chief of staff, and had ordered a more than 40% salary increase in her first year at the bank, during the pandemic. The newspaper revealed that the official’s salary amounted to $420,000 annually, tax-exempt. Country.

Unveiled in this report, Joe Biden’s government – as there was no sympathy for Claver Carone – endorsed his departure due to the official’s “improper conduct”, as the Treasury noted, but also because The enormous concern that Clavier Caroney’s own behavior has caused in the Democratic administrationwho accused him of creating a file Climate of intimidation and fear in the organismAnd an attempt to obstruct and pollute the investigation that caused its downfall. The united front that the region demonstrated in favor of a leadership change in the bank also greatly influenced the bank.

In 2020, with Donald Trump in the White House, the United States paved the way for Claver Karouni to become president of the Islamic Development Bank. He was the first North American to head the bank after winning a controversial election. Brazil and Colombia, several countries from Central America and the Caribbean supported his candidacy, which was rejected by Argentina, Chile and Peru, split scene that disappeared in his dismissal.

The new regional consensus in favor of choosing a new leader for the Islamic Development Bank was crucial to tilting the White House in favor of removing Claver Carone.

The head of the Islamic Development Bank has always denied all the accusations. Despite the fact that his dismissal had the support of the entire region and the United States, and that no member state contested the report’s conclusions or the process, Claver-Carone said the allegation against him was based on “fabricated information”, that there were “false accusations” and that due process and rules The bank did not respect.

But a Treasury spokesman said this week that the investigation was “comprehensive, independent and credible.” Additionally, Davis Polk’s final report accused him of withholding information and not cooperating fully with the investigation, a position that alarmed the Biden administration.

President Clavier Caroney’s refusal to fully cooperate with the investigation and creating a climate of fear of retaliation among employees and borrowing nations has lost the confidence of the Bank’s employees and shareholders and requires a change of leadership. The spokesman said the United States would support a quick decision by the Board of Governors.

Argentina’s vote in favor of Claver Caroni’s departure from the Islamic Development Bank capped a history of short circuits between the former Trump official and the Alberto Fernandez government.

The feud started from the start, when Clavier Carone, Trump’s main Latin American adviser, traveled to Buenos Aires in December 2019 for Fernandez’s inauguration, but left before the ceremony, annoyed by the presence of an official Nicolas Maduro. Subsequently, the Argentine government clashed with Claver Carone over the chair of the Islamic Development Bank, which Casa Rosada sought for Gustavo Pelez. In the end, Claver Carone kept it.

During his presidency, the Islamic Development Bank’s relationship with the government was complex. Claver-Carone came to secure loans to the country that were agreed as part of the program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Sergio Massa’s arrival at the Palacio de Hacienda and Pelez’s departure paved the way for turning the page. During his recent visit to Washington, Massa and Clavier Carone were seen together exchanging greetings and answering questions from the press. Claver Carone said Argentina is now speaking “with one voice,” accelerating and expanding loans to the country.

A few weeks later, the independent investigation that marked his downfall emerged, the United States and the region gathered to expel him, and Massa himself, thanking him for his generosity in front of journalists, voted in favor of his impeachment. From the Islamic Development Bank.