Source:
Washington Post/Houston Chronicle April 14, 2007, 1:25AM
World Bank scandal hovers over foundation's efforts
Romantic partner of World Bank chief has yet to create a command structure or award grants
Washington Post
WASHINGTON — The woman at the center of the storm surrounding World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz has spent the past few months trying to get one of the signature efforts of President Bush's Middle East democracy campaign off the ground.
The Foundation for the Future, as the effort is called, has made no grants and held only two board meetings since its creation 11/2 years ago. Though Shaha Riza, who has been romantically linked to Wolfowitz, is not listed as part of the staff on the organization's Web site, she is the only person working in the group's offices, located within the Henry L. Stimson Center, a think tank. The Washington office is listed as a "branch," according to the site, which promises that soon a main office will be established in Beirut.
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Since September 2005, the World Bank has paid Riza's salary — which under the terms of a contract dictated by Wolfowitz included automatic raises that have brought it to $193,590 tax-free — while she was seconded to the State Department to assist on Middle East democracy issues. There, she worked under Elizabeth Cheney, who was then principal deputy assistant secretary; Wolfowitz worked for Cheney's father as an undersecretary of defense in the George H.W. Bush administration.
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Riza moved to the foundation in December 2006 to become senior adviser to its executive committee and board of directors, according to documents released Friday by the World Bank. The one board member from the U.S. is retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who was traveling Friday and could not be reached for comment.
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