President of the IDB, appointed by Trump, with one foot outside the institution

( Spanish) — Mauricio Claver-Caronepresident of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), would be one step away from being removed from his post, after the board of directors unanimously recommended his dismissal on Thursday afternoon.

Four sources related to the institution told that the 14 directors of the IDB, the largest development bank in Latin America and the Caribbean, recommend dismissing him after an investigation carried out, according to the same sources, to determine if the official had violated ethical standards or exercised improper conduct by favoring an official with whom he allegedly had a romantic relationship. has not had access to the investigative report and has unsuccessfully requested a reaction from Claver Carone. The IDB has not responded to our requests for confirmation either.

The finding of the investigation – commissioned by the Bank’s board of directors to an independent law firm to corroborate the reports and complaints received – was presented in a confidential report to the board, which later led to meetings and an appearance by Claver-Carone , in a process that entered the final stretch this week.

On September 20, the IDB posted on his website Claver-Carone’s position: he assures that he supported and participated in an “unprecedented investigation that, as expected, does not corroborate the false and anonymous accusations made against me or IDB staff in the press.” He describes the investigation as arbitrary and without any formal complaint within the organization’s administrative rules, launched on an anonymous basis, and accuses that the handling of the investigation has repeatedly violated the Bank’s ethics rules.

According to the sources consulted by , Claver-Carone returned from New York on Wednesday, where he held various meetings with Latin American officials and presidents, within the framework of the United Nations General Assembly.

The final decision on his removal rests with the board of governors, made up of the finance ministers of the governments of its 48 member countries. According to the sources, they will have five days from Friday, September 23 to start an electronic vote. However, upon receiving the unanimous recommendation from the board of directors, the vote would be a mere formality, the sources say.

Claver-Carone, who took office in October 2020 for a 5-year term, was appointed by then President Donald Trump, breaking with a tradition of the IDB being led by a Latin American. Claver-Carone was deputy assistant to the then president and Senior Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council, was the United States representative to the International Monetary Fund, among other positions.

The United States, Brazil and Argentina are the main shareholders of the IDB, concentrating 53% of the votes. In 2021, the agency granted financing for more than 23 billion dollars.