The Organization of American States agrees to an external investigation into Almagro of an affair with a subordinate

Miami. – Permanent Council of the Organization of American States The Organization of American States on Friday overwhelmingly agreed to it An external investigation is being conducted with the Secretary-General, Luis Almagro, regarding alleged ethical errors he may have incurred in maintaining the An intimate relationship with one of his subordinates.

Been voted At the request of Antigua and Barbuda and UruguayAfter the Inspector General of the Organization of American States said in a note that An outside company would have been better served to investigate allegations that Almagro may have violated the company’s internal code of ethics.

Thirty member states of the Organization of American States, including Argentina, the United States, Mexico and Uruguay, voted in favor of the external investigation. Two abstained (Belize and Haiti) and one missed: Grenada.

Immediately after voting, And Almagro himself, 59, publicly admitted the romantic relationship with the woman. He also said that from the start he offered to cooperate with transparency.

“I definitely want to confirm and reaffirm and strongly affirm that this relationship exists,” Almagro said, without identifying the woman by name. “She has been my business partner for three years, on a personal level perhaps the best of my life.

Almagro said that although the relationship ended “months ago,” he would never regret it.

Sources familiar with the matter told AFP that it is Mexican political scientist Marian Fedori.

The OAS inspector general’s recommendation was based on an Associated Press report that found that Almagro had an affair with a Mexican employee who has been described, including on the organization’s website, as a “Senior Adviser” to the Secretary-General.

The inspector general said the AP report followed an anonymous and vague complaint that Almagro himself sent to his office on June 3.

The OAS Code of Ethics prohibits its officials from supervising or participating in decisions that benefit people with whom they have a romantic relationship.

Although Almagro admitted to having an affair with the woman, He did not at any time indicate the position she occupies, nor did he say whether it belonged to him. He had asserted on previous occasions that he had never supervised the employee and had not been involved in any employment-related decision, such as approving a salary increase.

OAS employment records show that the woman, whose identity was not identified at the OAS request, He received a raise in his salary sometime before June 30, 2019, and his short-term contract was extended to a long-term contract while maintaining his relationship with Almagro. In some online bios, and some posted on the OAS website, she is listed as “Senior Adviser to the Secretary-General”.

Almagro, a Uruguayan, has repeatedly promised to cooperate with any investigation.

“None of this can change my view of institutions, their work, and the responsibility we have towards them,” he confirmed Friday, after admitting his romantic relationship with the woman.

This is not the only criticism facing Almagro, who took over the leadership of the Organization of American States in 2015 with almost unanimous support.

days ago Mexico criticized Almagro for allegedly betraying the wishes of members of the Organization of American States when he unilaterally renewed Ombudsman Nida Pérez’s four-year contract in September.days before the approval of a previously discussed plan to implement an open and competitive process for the leadership function at the organization’s annual meeting.

Perez’s contract was due to expire on October 21, two weeks after the new measures were adopted. The ombudsman was recently criticized by the OAS High Review Committee for acting in a biased manner by facilitating the dismissal of the 2020 president of Almagro of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, an independently administered body.

The executive secretary of the commission himself faced complaints in the workplace, but had the unanimous support of the seven commissioners of oversight.

The case of Almagro in the OAS reminds us of another important organization for Latin America: the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), whose former president was Mauricio Claver Carone was sacked at the end of September After the investigation concluded that he had maintained an intimate relationship with his subordinate, which would have given him preferential treatment.

AP and AFP . agencies

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