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Filed under: International Institutions

The Statesmen reports that Paul Wolfowitz, head of the World Bank, is embroiled in a nepotism scandal. Apparently his longtime girlfriend, Shaha Riza, a communications officer for godsakes, has been receiving some pretty large pay raises that haven't been approved by the ethics committee as they're supposed to be. By large, I mean an extra $47,300, bringing her up to $180,000, since Wolfowitz arrived. Then she got another $13,590 last year. Now everyone is wondering why these raises were ordered and bypassed around the ethics committee. Well, now we know.

At the risk of turning this into a tabloid, occurrences like this are particularly regrettable because it reflects on the entire organization. Wolfowitz went into the World Bank promising to clean up corruption and make it actually, you know, work so that its goals are achievable. Politicians and bureaucrats, especially at the international level, are all sleazy. It's no wonder that hookers line the streets of New York in force when political conventions and conferences come to town.

Speaking of which, wouldn't it be cheaper from the World Bank to get Wolfowitz one of those rather than boost his girlfriend's salary by over $60,000?