The World Bank has launched an investigation into its handling of a $1bn loan from China after the bank’s treasurer queried whether the process may have violated bank rules.
世界银行(World Bank)已针对其如何处置一笔来自中国的10亿美元贷款发起了内部调查。此前，世行司库对处置流程是否违反行规提出了质疑。
External lawyers have been hired to lead the probe into the transaction, which was endorsed by the chief financial officer, and the outcome is due to be handed to the bank’s leadership this week. In a note to staff on Tuesday Jim Yong Kim, the president, said “there has been no suggestion of any staff misconduct”.
世行聘请了多名外部律师协同调查，调查结果将在本周内提交给世行领导层。争议交易是由世行首席财务官批准的。世行行长金墉(Jim Yong Kim)周二在一份至员工报告中表示，“目前没有迹象表明任何员工存在不当行为”。

The controversy pits Bertrand Badré, the World Bank’s chief financial officer whose generous bonus had angered staff , against the bank’s treasurer, Madelyn Antoncic.
这场争议让世行首席财务官伯特兰•巴德雷(Bertrand Badré)与该行司库马德林•安东西奇(Madelyn Antoncic)针锋相对。此前，巴德雷的高额奖金惹恼了世行员工。
At question is how the bank processed a $1bn loan from China in 2013 that came as part of the World Bank’s regular fundraising for the International Development Association, the fund used to back its work with poor countries.
引发争议的，是世行对2013年从中国获得的一笔10亿美元贷款的处置方式。这笔贷款是世行定期为国际开发协会(IDA)融资时获得的，用于支持该协会对穷国的扶贫工作。
The transaction was one of five low-interest loans given by donors to the IDA.
这10亿美元是捐赠机构向国际开发协会提供的五笔低息贷款之一。
But rather than simply take $1bn into the fund, the arrangement with Beijing included a complex transaction with the International Finance Corporation, the bank’s private sector arm. The IFC since 2012 has been led by Jin-Yong Cai, a Chinese national who once led Goldman Sachs’ operations in China.
但是，这笔资金并未直接注入扶贫基金。世行与北京方面的协议包含了一项涉及世行私营部门机构——国际金融公司(IFC)的交易。自2012年以来，国际金融公司一直由中国公民蔡金勇(Jin-Yong Cai)领导。蔡金勇曾经担任高盛(Goldman Sachs)中国区业务负责人。
According to bank officials, because China did not have the right mechanism in place to make its own concessional loans its $1bn loan was made at market rates. But Beijing also gave a $300m grant to the bank on top of the $1bn to help reduce the World Bank’s borrowing costs.
银行高管称，因为中国没有提供优惠贷款的适当机制，所以这笔贷款是以市场价格提供的。但除10亿美元之外，北京方面还向世行赠予3亿美元，以帮助世行降低借款成本。
With those funds the IDA bought a $1.179bn bond from the IFC that ensured the loan from China would be repaid over 25 years.
国际开发协会用这些资金向国际金融公司购买了11.79亿美元债券，以确保能在25年内向中国偿清贷款。
That transaction prompted Ms Antoncic and her staff to raise questions about its structure and whether the approval process had been proper.
世行司库安东西奇及其下属对这笔交易的结构以及审批流程是否正当提出了质疑。
A senior official said the World Bank had brought in outside lawyers to look at the case because it involved two internal units and questions over its processes.
一名世行高管表示，因此事涉及到两个内部部门，以及世行流程引发的质疑，世行已聘请外部律师调查此事。
Mr Badré was involved because “he is the person that ultimately approved that transaction”.
巴德雷被牵扯进来，是因为“他是该交易的最终审批者”。
“Nobody has raised any issues of misconduct nor has anyone raised any issues about preferential treatment for China,” the official said.
“没有人针对任何人提出行事不当的指控，也没有人质疑中国方面是否获得了特惠待遇，”上述高管表示。
“Nobody is questioning that China in any way acted in bad faith or is benefiting from this transaction . . . It’s a very technical review.”
“没有人怀疑中国有任何居心不良之举，或者从中受益…… 这完全是一次关于流程的技术性审查。”