7 December 2006
Sunil Chacko discusses whether the US Congress can subpoena World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz
Sunil Chacko discusses whether World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz can be called to testify in from of the US House of Representatives over US involvement in Iraq in the December 3 Huffington Post. The following comments are based on Chacko's article.
As Washington and much of the world readies for Congressional hearings on Iraq, many are wondering whether Paul Wolfowitz will testify. Wolfowitz is regarded as one of the chief masterminds behind the war in Iraq and the policies directing U.S. involvement. Criticisms over his contribution to the debacle have come to the fore following the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld.
The staff of international agencies are granted immunity for past and present acts under two conventions: the United Nations' Convention on the Privileges and Immunities, and the Vienna Convention on the Representation of States in their Relations with International Agencies of a Universal Character. Wolfowitz is protected by these entities.
"But for Mr. Wolfowitz, being a US citizen heading an international agency headquartered in the US, the situation is different." Chacko writes. "The Conventions make clear that any US national can be subpoenaed for actions undertaken prior to joining an international agency."
Chacko concludes that Wolfowitz should put the Bank's rhetoric around transparency and accountability into action by testifying should he be called to do so.
Read the article on the Huffington Post website