World Bank's Wolfowitz asked to explain promotion

Source: Reuters

By Lesley Wroughton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Bank's employee organization has questioned the promotion and pay rise of a female staffer it says is involved with bank President Paul Wolfowitz.

In a letter circulated internally to staff on Tuesday, the bank's Staff Association demanded an explanation from Wolfowitz and the board of member countries for what it called "violations of staff rules in favor of a staff member closely associated with the president."

The relationship with Shaha Riza, a former senior gender specialist and senior communications advisor in the bank's Middle East Department who had worked at the bank for eight years, became public when Wolfowitz took the helm of the bank in 2005.

The issue is the latest in a string of tensions between Wolfowitz and the Staff Association that began soon after his arrival at the bank accompanied by an inner circle of advisors who had previously worked for the Pentagon and White House.

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