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| Wolfowitz to face Bank directors | Wolfowitz to face Bank directors |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Embattled World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz is to fight for his job in front of a panel of bank directors. | Embattled World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz is to fight for his job in front of a panel of bank directors. |
| Mr Wolfowitz will defend himself against accusations that he pushed through a huge pay package for his girlfriend without the Bank's consent. | Mr Wolfowitz will defend himself against accusations that he pushed through a huge pay package for his girlfriend without the Bank's consent. |
| The committee will then report to the Bank's 24 representatives, who will decide on the president's fate. | The committee will then report to the Bank's 24 representatives, who will decide on the president's fate. |
| Mr Wolfowitz has apologised for his actions, vowing to stay on to complete what he called "important work". | Mr Wolfowitz has apologised for his actions, vowing to stay on to complete what he called "important work". |
| But a growing army of voices, including his own colleagues and the European Parliament, are calling for Mr Wolfowitz' resignation amid escalating concern the scandal embroiling the former Pentagon number two is damaging the credibility of the global lender. | But a growing army of voices, including his own colleagues and the European Parliament, are calling for Mr Wolfowitz' resignation amid escalating concern the scandal embroiling the former Pentagon number two is damaging the credibility of the global lender. |
| International development group Oxfam called his continued presidency "untenable" in an open letter to the Guardian newspaper on Monday. | International development group Oxfam called his continued presidency "untenable" in an open letter to the Guardian newspaper on Monday. |
| But the former US deputy defence secretary retains the full backing of the Bush administration, which was responsible for his appointment to the role. | |
| 'Absolutely false' | |
| Mr Wolfowitz will appear at Monday's meeting flanked by Washington lawyer Robert Bennett, who is famous for helping former president Bill Clinton settle sexual harassment charges in 1998. | |
| Mr Bennett will not be allowed to speak on his behalf, but has made it clear that Mr Wolfowitz will argue the decision to relocate his girlfriend, Shaha Riza, to the US State Department in 2005 was signed off by the board's ethics committee. | |
| He will also state that Ms Riza's salary increase to almost $200,000 (£100,000) "was well within the parameters" of the World Bank's salary and benefits structure. | |
| "We want to make a presentation to them to show that this conflict-of-interest allegation is absolutely false," Mr Bennett said. | |
| Mr Wolfowitz was a controversial nominee to the post of head of the World Bank because of his support for the war in Iraq. | |
| The committee will also investigate charges that he used his position to reward US allies and former government colleagues. |