IDB confirms removal of Claver-Carone as president following accusations

On Monday, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) voted to remove Mauricio Claver-Carone from his position as president of the international organization, effective immediately, according to an official statement.

“Mauricio Claver-Carone will resign as president of the bank effective September 26, 2022″, the bank said.

The body that casts the vote comprises finance ministers and central bankers from the 48 member countries of the IDB.

Unnamed sources familiar with the matter had told Bloomberg that the IDB’s executive directors recommended his dismissal after an investigation into an alleged romantic relationship with a high-ranking female adviser found that he had likely violated ethical rules.

Claver-Carone, 47, is a former senior adviser to the U.S. Treasury Department and was the only American to serve as president in the lending institution’s 62-year history.

He was elected after being nominated in 2020 by then-U.S. President Donald Trump.

The move broke a six-decade precedent in which the bank’s chief executive was from a Latin American country.

Claver-Carone denied all allegations and said he was not informed that his board had voted to remove him, Reuters reported.

In addition, the former IDB president told the media that he believes he was denied due process in handling the allegations against him, that he will take legal action against the bank for breach of contract and that he is considering a defamation lawsuit.

In a statement published Tuesday on the IDB website, Claver-Carone had already defended himself against the allegations against him, saying he had cooperated with the ongoing investigation and could not confirm “the false and anonymous accusations made against IDB employees in the press and me.”

Now, the same Board of Governors that voted to dismiss him will be responsible for electing a new president for a five-year term.

In the meantime, “Vice President Reina Irene Mejía Chacón will act as president under the direction of the Board until a new president is elected,” the organization said.