From facilitating coups to sexcapades, one has to wonder what is going on at the Organisation of American States (OAS) these days. The latest news is that the organization sponsored its chief’s sexcapade. We’re not kidding.
An external investigation is underway to determine if this violated the OAS’ ethics code, but one thing is clear – it casts a dark shadow over the entire organization.
The allegations that the OAS sponsored its chief’s sexcapade, as uncovered by The Associated Press, are deeply concerning. The travel records indicate that OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro and a female Mexican staffer travelled together almost three dozen times between July 2018 and February 2022.
While the exact cost of these trips to the OAS is not clear, it is apparent that the organization was paying for at least 21 of the 34 trips. The records indicate that the couple travelled together a total of fifteen times without any other OAS personnel being there.
The OAS has been struggling with a budget crunch for years, and the revelation that its head was using funds for what appears to be personal trips is particularly troubling. Almagro has denied any wrongdoing, but the Biden administration has called for an external investigation into whether the couple’s relationship violated the OAS’ ethics code.
Gonzalo Espariz, a spokesman for Almagro, stated in a written statement that the Secretary-General stands by all of his previous remarks, maintaining that no regulations of the OAS were broken due to the steps taken to adhere to the rules. This was in response to the inquiry launched last year into the relationship between Almagro and a staffer, which had previously been a widely known fact within the organization made up of 34 countries in the Western Hemisphere.
The investigation is expected to wrap up this month and deliver its findings by the end of March. If the investigation finds that Almagro did violate the ethics code, it could lead to serious consequences, including his removal from the OAS.
The woman, who is not being named at the request of the OAS, has been on unpaid leave since June. In online bios as well as in photos with Almagro as recently as a year ago, some of them posted to the OAS’ social media accounts, she is described as an “adviser” or sometimes “head adviser” to the secretary general.
In November last year, Almagro said, “I definitely want to confirm, reconfirm and super-confirm that this relationship existed for three years. None of this changes my vision of the institution, its operations and the responsibility we have with respect to them.”
OAS is a disappointment
The OAS ethics guidelines bar staff members from having intimate relationships with colleagues they supervise or in a way that interferes “with the performance of their duties or to disadvantage others in the workplace.” It remains to be seen whether this relationship was in any way inappropriate or violated these guidelines.
The U.S., which has contributed about half of the organization’s funding in 2022, declined to comment on the trips. But the Biden administration has repeatedly said it takes allegations of ethics violations at the OAS seriously and said it supports a fair, impartial review of the facts.
The purpose of the Organization of American States (OAS) is to promote democracy, human rights, security, and development in the Americas. It has to work to strengthen the political and economic independence of its member states.
However, OAS work is continuously under scrutiny. It is blamed to have facilitated the US-backed coup in Bolivia in 2019.
And recently, former president of Peru, Pedro Castillo, requested that the Organization of American States (OAS) invoke the Inter-American Democratic Charter to protect democracy and prevent the breakdown of constitutional order in the nation.
However, OAS failed to act and Peru soon became another victim of a US-backed coup in Latin America. OAS failure here is remarkable. But, how could OAS focus on work if its secretary general is involved in a sexcapade within the organization.
The allegations of OAS’ sponsored sexcapade are deeply concerning and could lead to serious consequences for Almagro and the OAS. It remains to be seen what the external investigation will uncover and whether Almagro will be held accountable for any misdeeds. In the meantime, the OAS must do its best to ensure transparency and accountability in all its actions going forward.
