On February 16, 2006, a former employee of the Inter-American Development Bank entered a guilty plea before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to charges against him for wire fraud involving resources of the Bank, agreeing to make full restitution of such resources. The fact of the criminal conduct was discovered by the Bank and referred for action to the U.S. authorities. Sentencing is scheduled for April 25, 2006.
The President of the Bank, Luis Alberto Moreno, reaffirms his commitment to the principle of zero tolerance towards any acts of corruption. At the President’s request, the Bank is undertaking a comprehensive review of its internal control mechanisms in order to implement the necessary measures to strengthen them.
The Bank insists that its employees maintain the highest levels of integrity and will adopt all necessary internal measures to ensure compliance with this obligation. President Moreno encourages all Bank employees and the general public to remain vigilant with respect to matters relating to the appropriate use of the Bank’s resources and to report any irregularity through the established mechanisms.