Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Aug 02, 2025

World Bank Mishandled Sexual Misconduct Charges: Report

World Bank Mishandled Sexual Misconduct Charges: Report

The case involved disturbing reports dating back to 2009 of the official inviting young colleagues to hotel rooms.
The World Bank mishandled sexual harassment complaints brought by multiple women against a senior official, according to the bank's labor tribunal.

The case involved disturbing reports dating back to 2009 of the official inviting young colleagues to hotel rooms, trying to trick them into kissing him, and making inappropriate comments.

The official was demoted but not dismissed from his position, according to the World Bank Administrative Tribunal, the last resort for employees filing grievances against the development lender.

It was the latest blemish on the Washington-based finance institution, after a recent internal investigation revealed officials pressured economists to alter results of its closely watched "Doing Business" report that ranked countries based on business-friendly policies.

The report implicated IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva in her former senior role at the World Bank, but the IMF board last week expressed confidence in her and said the report did not conclusively show she "played an improper role."

The findings in the sexual harassment case, released in June, were detailed in a report Monday by The Wall Street Journal, which identified the official as Rodrigo Chaves, a candidate for president of Costa Rica who served briefly as the country's finance minister.

"This case has brought visibility to shortcomings in the Bank's approach to accountability for sexual harassment and protection for staff," said the tribunal's report, which identified the official only as "Mr C."

Chaves denied any misconduct or attributed them to cultural differences, but the investigation, which interviewed 27 witnesses, described the pattern of "relentless and unwanted advances."

Annette Dixon, the World Bank's vice president of human resources, said the institution is "strongly committed to fostering a safe working environment that is free from harassment and abuse and where staff feel empowered to report allegations of wrongdoing."

"Like many large organizations, we know we can always do better," she said in a statement.

The World Bank in January imposed a "no rehire" ban on Chaves and barred him from the premises.

The tribunal also ordered the World Bank to pay the legal costs for two of the women.

Chaves, who worked at the bank for nearly 27 years, resigned November 30, 2019 shortly after he was demoted, and then became finance minister of Costa Rica, where he was involved in relations with his old employer.

He resigned as finance minister in May 2020 amid disputes with the President Carlos Alvarado over spending, and is a candidate in February's presidential election.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
×