121-page report exonerates Luis Almagro after having an intimate relationship with an OAS employee

The general secretary of the Organization of American States (OSA), Louis Almagrohe unintentionally violated the internal provisions on “common sense and common sense” by maintaining an intimate relationship with an employee, though did not violate the regulation of the entity that grants salary or other favors, determined a special investigation which it lasted several months.

The report was eagerly awaited in Washington and several Latin American capitals, where love or hate to the main protagonist of this story, the former Chancellor of Uruguay who became head of the organization in 2015 and a great ally of the White House.

Due to his ultra-critical positions towards the regimes of Cuba, Venezuela or Nicaragua and the crisis in Bolivia, the official is subject to strong attacks by the government of Alberto Fernández and the president himself has publicly requested that the Uruguayan be removed from the his assignment.

“If the OAS wants to be respected and return to being the regional political platform for which it was born, it must be restructured. immediately removing those who lead it”, Fernández said at the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles in June of last year.

121 page report

The conclusions on the Almagro case appear in a 121-page report delivered Monday to the OAS states, which has not yet been made public but has been reported to the press. consulted by clarion, the Argentine ambassador to the organization, Carlos Raimundi, declined to comment From.

The investigation started after the AP agency revealed last October that Almagro, separated and 59 years oldHas been in a long romantic relationship with a Mexican collaborator 20 years his junior. The OAS bylaws do not prohibit dealings between officers of the organization, but they should not bring any additional benefits. The Uruguayan has never denied the connection.

The case arose after the president of another international organization, Mauricio Claver Carone, was ousted from his post at the Inter-American Development Bank last year for having relations with another official who he had benefited from salary increases and promotionssomething he denied.

What the report says

The investigation into the Almagro case was conducted by the law firm Miller & Knight of Washington. The report, which took several months to work with, accused Almagro of allow the woman to define herself as “adviser” to the general secretary, although it did not depend directly on him and this title was reserved for a handful of collaborators.

“The external investigation concluded that the Secretary-General violated OAS rules and regulations with regard to the provisions on common sense and common sense and additional ethical obligations for the secretary-general,” the report said.

But, on the other hand, the report specified that Almagro “did not violate the rules and regulations of the OAS regarding supervisory duties, salary increases, intimidation, travel or conflicts of interest”.

When asked by Reuters, Almagro said: “The report relieves me of all responsibility“, Almagro said. “I accept and especially appreciate the recommendations presented,” he added.

The US Ambassador to the OAS, Francisco Mora, told the agency that the report “seems comprehensive and fair” and who hope to work collaboratively to implement the recommendations,” the diplomat said.

But the report was not well received by all. “It is evident that the role that Almagro is playing e his figure is extremely damaging to the functioning and prestige of the OAS“, the director general of Mexico’s regional organizations, Efraín Guadarrama, told EFE.

For Mexico, the report feeds a “general malaise within the organization” towards the figure of the general secretary.

“The only thing on which there is no consensus is what the way out will be and I think we should have an important discussion about it,” Guadarrama underlined, adding that his country sees the need to “re-found” the DARE.

In the report, Almagro had defended himself: “At all times I acted with the utmost transparencyputting the interests of the organization first and respecting the rules,” said Almagro in a 10 page answer.

The Uruguayan, according to the lawyers of the investigation, consulted with his consultants regarding the alleged conflict of interest pursuant to the Code of Ethics and maintained a sufficient administrative and hierarchical distance with the official to avoid the configuration of a superior relationship -superior.

Furthermore, the report reads, “he refused to participate in administrative processes that harmed the interests” of that worker, “he did not allow the intimate relationship to interfere in the exercise of his duties and he did not hide it, nor did he hide itallowing the intimate relationship to become public knowledge from its inception”.

But, according to the investigation, the violation of the code of ethics arises precisely from “not having refrained from collaborating closely and closely with the official” after starting the intimate relationship.

By retaining it, while allowing the OAS officer to continue to serve as an integral part of its advisory team, he “violated his further ethical obligations and contravened the very spirit of ‘common sense and common sense’ always required for all staff and other service providers of the General Secretariat”, reads the text.

a four year relationship

The woman he accompanied Almagro on 42 of the 92 official trips that she carried out during the almost four years that their relationship lasted, giving the impression, both inside and outside the organization, of being a collaborator who enjoyed preferential treatment.

“The external investigation revealed that the Secretary-General was aware of this and took no action to prevent this perception from growing further,” the report said.

However, research found no evidence that Almagro influenced wage increases for women, proportional to positive evaluations of her performance, some of which predate her relationship with Almagro.

The investigation also “suggests” a revision of the OAS rules and regulations “in such a way that in the future avoid this kind of situation“.

“The OAS would benefit from more comprehensive regulation against conduct related to intimate relationships to broaden its scope and to have a process to follow against applicable risks, reporting and mitigating measures,” concludes its analysis .

ap