Wolfowitz gets more time to rebut findings

The World Bank’s board of member countries said Wednesday that it would give bank President Paul D. Wolfowitz more time to respond to findings of a panel that he broke rules in approving a promotion for his girlfriend.

In a late-night statement, the board said it would give him until Friday to respond to the findings, which Wolfowitz and his lawyer argued for under bank rules.

The board said it had communicated to Wolfowitz that he could then explain himself in person to them Tuesday, when they would also reach a decision on his future at the World Bank. Presidential counselor Dan Bartlett had said earlier Wednesday that Wolfowitz deserved a “fair process and a fair hearing of the facts.”

The controversy over Wolfowitz’s handling of the 2005 promotion and compensation package for bank employee Shaha Ali Riza has prompted calls for his resignation.

The bank board’s action responds to complaints from Wolfowitz’s attorney, Robert Bennett, that his client needed more time to prepare his response.

Wolfowitz on Sunday received more than 600 pages of materials from the special bank investigating panel. Bennett had argued that Wolfowitz should have at least five business days to review the materials and respond, consistent with bank rules.

Riza worked for the bank before Wolfowitz took over in June 2005. She was moved to the State Department to avoid a conflict of interest but stayed on the bank’s payroll. Her salary rose from close to $133,000 to $193,590. Before he took over the bank, Wolfowitz was the No. 2 official at the Pentagon and helped map the U.S.-led war in Iraq.