Directors of the Inter-American Development Bank met to discuss allegations in an anonymous email that the institution’s president, Mauricio Claver-Carone, had a close relationship with a staff member, three sources told Reuters.
One of the sources, an IDB person with direct knowledge of the matter, said directors had discussed hiring an outside firm to investigate the allegations and asked Claver-Carone to temporarily step aside.
The two other sources confirmed that the bank’s 14 directors, its general counsel and its deputy secretary met to discuss the allegations and how to proceed in a two-and-a-half-hour virtual meeting on Tuesday.
IDB officials are expected to meet again this week to discuss which company will carry out the investigation and Claver-Carone’s employment status, a source said.
Reuters was unable to confirm claims about the alleged relationship, which, if any, would be against the bank’s rules.
The IDB did not comment when asked about the meeting and the allegations. Claver-Carone, a former White House official appointed to the IDB by President Donald Trump, did not respond to repeated emails and calls seeking comment.
Prior to joining the IDB in 2020, Claver-Carone worked with Trump as director for Western Hemisphere issues at the National Security Council.
The IDB is a development bank that, although much smaller than the International Monetary Fund or the World Bank, is important in Latin America.
He was responsible for US$23.4 billion (R$111 billion at current rates) in financing and other financial commitments for Latin America and the Caribbean in 2021, according to bank data.
An anonymous email sent to the bank’s board and ethics a week ago accuses Claver-Carone of having a relationship with a senior staff member who reported to him, according to the source with direct knowledge of the meeting. Reuters did not see the email.
The email also accuses both of misusing IDB funds, a source said, without elaborating.
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