By Veronica Rossini

A special investigative panel found that Mr. Wolfowitz “broke bank rules”. On 15 May, he appeared before the panel to defend himself. According to the Financial Times, he claimed to have acted in good faith and told the panel that “my conduct with respect to Ms Riza… does not justify taking any action against me or warrant a finding that you lack confidence in my leadership.”

On 17 May, Mr Wolfowitz announced his resignation, affirming that: “It is in the best interests of those whom this institution serves for that mission to be carried forward under new leadership,” reports the Financial Times. In a carefully drafted statement, the Bank’s board of directors accepted Mr Wolfowitz’ statement that he had acted in good faith, and praised his work on debt relief and corruption during his two-year tenure, according to the New York Times. “He assured us that he acted ethically and in good faith in what he believed were the best interests of the institution, and we accept that,” the board’s directors said. “We also accept that others involved acted ethically and in good faith.”

For more information, please see Transparency International’s press release.

By Veronica Rossini

The Irish Times notes that although outgoing President Olusegun Obasanjo has admitted there was irregular balloting in the election, there are few that believe that his protégé (and winner of the presidential election) Mr. Umaru Yar’Adua will be deprived of office.

Concerns regarding the election began earlier in the year when Mr. Obasanjo tried unsuccessfully to change the constitution to allow him to run for a third term in office. Opposition politicians saw this as an attempt on Mr. Obasanjo’s behalf to cling to power. An all-out war with Vice President Atiku Abara ensued, where the two men charged each other with allegations of corruption, writes The Financial Times.

Despite Mr. Yar’Adua’s “good record for improving his state rather than embezzling” during his time as governor, there are fears that rigged elections could further destabilise the country, reports The Economist. The Irish Times comments that electoral fraud “is a sad blow for Africa’s largest and richest state,” especially for its international reputation and its prominent role in the African Union.

By Veronica Rossini

The main allegations, as reported in the Gulf Times, are that “(Chaudhary) engineered his son’s appointment to a senior police post, unauthorised use of state transport, and issuance of contradictory written and verbal verdicts.” Chaudhary has denied all allegations and is currently refusing to resign.

The BBC reported major protests in cities across the country following Chaudhary’s suspension, while “lawyers, opposition parties, human rights activists and some judges have condemned the move as unconstitutional and a blow to the independence of the judiciary.” The BBC correspondent in Islamabad found that, “many in the legal community believe Iftikhar Chaudhary was dismissed because he took up cases unpopular with the government.”

In the run up to presidential elections tentatively scheduled for September or October later this year, the New York Times* cites two important cases that will come before the courts: “one challenging the legality of General Musharraf’s holding the posts of president and army chief simultaneously and one in which the court is asked to rule on whether the present Parliament can re-elect the general to another term as president.” Analysts cited by the Gulf Times speculated that the government may have feared Chaudhary would not have ruled in favour of Musharraf backing out of his commitment to quit as army chief this year.

On 7 May, the International Herald Tribune reported that the Supreme Court had stopped the proceedings of the judicial panel examining Chaudhary’s case until they had ruled on the 20 petitions filed against Musharraf’s suspension order. "’In view of the admitted fact that the present cases involve unprecedented, important constitutional and legal issues, let the matter be placed before the full court,’ the court's written ruling said.”

* The original New York Times article may be unavailable to some viewers as it was obtained using TI’s password protected subscription service.