Warning against a "rush to judgment," an attorney representing World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said he would like the bank's board to slow down deliberations on allegations that Wolfowitz showed favoritism toward his girlfriend in arranging a lucrative compensation package for her, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.

In an interview with the Journal, attorney Robert Bennett said that he is likely to need "several weeks" to develop the facts in the case.

Bennett said he intends to present the 24-member board, which resumed deliberations on Monday regarding Wolfowitz's fate, with a complete picture of his client's actions.

It would be "grossly unjust" to Wolfowitz not to give him (Bennett) time to respond fully to the board, Bennett said. "There's been a rush to judgment here," he said.

In a statement issued on Friday, the board signaled that it intended to move rapidly to bring the controversy over Wolfowitz to a close, directing a special ad hoc committee to begin deliberations "immediately" on what action, if any, to take, according to the report.

At issue is Wolfowitz's role in securing a pay-and-promotion package for Shaha Riza, a bank staff with whom he has had a romantic relationship predating his arrival at the bank.

The revelations have sparked a political storm and put big pressures on the board to resolve the controversy so the poverty-fighting institution can get back to its core mission, said the report.

It was not clear exactly how the board would respond to Bennett's appeal for more time, the report said.

Source: Xinhua