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IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on Thursday said she was hopeful of an “expeditious resolution” to an investigation that found she manipulated data in favor of China while in a senior role at the World Bank.
The statement came a day after Georgieva spoke to the IMF Executive Board, which is reviewing last month’s investigation by law firm WilmerHale that found that during her time as World Bank CEO, Georgieva was among top officials who pressured staff into changing data to China’s benefit in the 2018 edition of its closely watched Doing Business report.
“I am pleased that I finally had the opportunity to explain to the IMF Board my role in the Doing Business report and how I respected the integrity of the report,” Georgieva said in a statement released through a communications firm rather than the IMF.
“I look forward to an expeditious resolution of the matter in a way that preserves the core strengths of the IMF and the World Bank as strong multilateral institutions that fulfill their important missions during these times of unprecedented crisis.”
Georgieva has repeatedly denied the report’s conclusions, and on Thursday released a letter from her attorney to the board objecting to WilmerHale’s findings, as well as her 12-page testimony to the 24 board members.
The law firm’s report “does not accurately characterize my actions... nor does it accurately portray my character or the way that I have conducted myself over a long professional career,” she said.
