The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) ratified Luis Almagro as its Secretary General on Friday afternoon by approving a draft resolution in which the results of the the external investigation carried out on Almagro for his sentimental relationship with a close employee.
In the resolution, the Permanent Council decided to “take note” of the conclusions of the investigation that established that Almagro “did not violate the rules or regulations of the OAS regarding obligations regarding supervision, salary increases, intimidation or conflicts of interest.
The decision to approve the continuity of Almagro received criticism from member countries such as Mexico, Argentina and Bolivia, despite not having objected to the resolution “to facilitate the process.” The resolution was not put to a vote.
“A secretary general with high ethical standards is the minimum that a serious and solid OAS requires,” said the Mexican ambassador to the OAS, Luz Elena Baños Rivas. “Despite the evidence of the damage that the Secretary General has caused to the OAS…it is surprising that we are still doubting the appropriateness of removing him from the leadership of the Organization.”
El Salvador was the only delegation that publicly refrained from supporting the adoption of the resolution, considering that the document had had several proposals for changes and had been hastily reviewed and amended.
Almagro has stated that at all times he acted with “the maximum transparency and putting the interests of the organization first and respecting its rules.”
The investigation did find that the Secretary General acted without “common sense” or “good judgement”, which presented a violation of his additional ethical obligations. “The Secretary General’s conduct does not reflect the degree of intent necessary to sustain an intentional violation of OAS rules and regulations,” the investigation estimates.
The Permanent Council resolved to “urge” the Secretary General and other OAS officials to “comply with the strictest ethical standards inherent to their positions, regardless of the lack of specificity of the current rules, until they are examined and revised.” the Code of Ethics and the Organization’s Staff Regulations”.
The investigation was commissioned by the OAS after what Associated Press revealed in October 2022 that Almagro, 59, had a long relationship with a Mexican collaborator, 20 years younger than him. The affair, which lasted nearly four years, was an open secret and created the impression, both inside and outside the OAS, that the employee was receiving preferential treatment from the Washington-based organization’s secretary general.
The investigation was carried out by the company Miller & Chevalier, a law firm hired by a working group made up of the OAS Permanent Council President and Vice President, and the Secretary for Administration and Finance.
[Este reporte contiene información de The Associated Press]
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