WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – An independent probe has found that the head of the Organization of American States did not engage in serious misconduct in an intimate relationship with a staffer but that he violated its ethics code by failing to exercise “good judgment,” according to the results of an investigation seen by Reuters.
The findings of the probe, launched late last year following a whistleblower’s complaint against OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, are laid out in a 121-page report distributed on a confidential basis to OAS member-states today. It has not yet been made public.
The allegations against Almagro, who has long enjoyed U.S. backing, had raised questions about the future leadership of the OAS, the Western Hemisphere’s largest multilateral body. It was founded 75 years ago to promote regional cooperation but in recent years has struggled with ideological divisions among its 34 members.
The investigation, conducted for the OAS by the Washington law firm Miller & Chevalier Chartered, urged that the organization update and overhaul its ethics policies. The report stopped short of explicitly stating that Almagro was completely cleared of all the allegations he faced. It did not make any recommendations specific to him.
Still, Almagro’s critics in Latin America and other foes such as Russia could be emboldened to seek his ouster.
“The report exonerates me of all responsibility,” Almagro, who had seen the findings, told Reuters in an emailed statement. “I accept and value especially the recommendations put forth.”
The U.S., which had endorsed the launching of the ethics investigation, is likely to continue its support for Almagro, a former Uruguayan foreign minister who has headed the OAS since 2015.
He has mostly aligned himself with U.S. policy in recent years as an outspoken critic of Washington’s main regional rivals – Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua – which has alienated some on the Latin American left.
Frank Mora, U.S. ambassador to the OAS, said in statement that the report “appears to be thorough and fair” and he looks forward “to working collaboratively to implement the recommendations.”
Almagro has also been criticized by Russia, especially after helping to push through a U.S.-backed OAS resolution last April suspending Moscow as a permanent observer to the Washington-based organization over the invasion of Ukraine.
The probe centered on what the report deemed was a consensual relationship between Almagro and a Mexican-born woman. Their romance, which began in mid-2018, became common knowledge inside the OAS and the couple made no effort to hide it, according to the report.
OAS guidelines say intimate relationships are allowed unless they interfere with performance of duties or disadvantage other staffers. It also dictates that managers must not take part in “supervising or evaluating” their romantic partners.