Marcelo gets 2nd term as World Bank anti-corruption adviser

MANILA, Philippines -  During the final session of the mid-year meeting of the Independent Advisory Board (IAB) of the World Bank in Washington last Friday, World Bank president Robert Zoellick, through managing director Sri Mulyani, invited former ombudsman Simeon Marcelo to accept a second three-year-term as adviser on good governance and anti-corruption.

Also invited by Zoellick to serve another term were other IAB members Peter Costelo, Chester Crocker and Mark Pieth.

Costello is one of the longest-serving finance ministers in the world, having served as Australia’s treasurer from 1996 to 2007 and previously chaired the APEC and G-20 Group of Finance Ministers.

Crocker was US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs from 1981-89 and also chaired the board of the United States Institute of Peace.

Pieth is a leading anti-corruption and good governance expert. He chairs the OECD Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions and is a professor at Basle University.

Established in September 2008, the IAB provides advice to the World Bank Group on a range of governance and anti-corruption measures, fulfilling a recommendation made by the Independent Review of the World Bank’s Integrity Vice-Presidency, led by former US Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker.

The IAB aims to protect the independence and strengthen the accountability of the World Bank’s Department of Institutional Integrity (INT) – a critical part of the Bank’s Governance and Anti-Corruption (GAC) strategy – by giving advice on policies and procedures and on the Department’s interactions within the World Bank Group.

It also provides advice to World Bank president Zoellick and the World Bank Group Audit Committee on the performance of INT and the implementation of related recommendations of the Volcker panel.

Marcelo has maintained his advocacy against corruption after leaving public office and returning to the private sector as the chief litigator of CVCLAW.

Recently, he led the widespread opposition to the controversial plea bargain deal involving retired military comptroller Carlos Garcia and parti-cipated in congressional inquiries on the matter.