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15 May, 2003José Rodriguez, a vice-president of the IMF, has been suspended from his Executive Committee post.
ARGENTINA/GENEVA: A variety of investigations are trying to shed light upon the Argentinean military regime of 1976-1983. Some of these investigations focus on the disappearances of trade unionists. One case regards the Mercedes Benz plant in Argentina, where 14 people disappeared in the years 1976-1977.
In this connection, individual journalists and surviving relatives have raised allegations against José Rodriguez, president of the IMF-affiliated Argentinean trade union SMATA, claiming that he played a role in the disappearances.
José Rodriguez, who has been an IMF Executive Committee member since 1973, strongly denies the allegations.
The allegations and resulting debate are provoking reports about the issue in a vast number of public media outlets. Following this, not only José Rodriguez, but also the International Metalworkers' Federation and IMF affiliates are being implicated in the different allegations.
Subsequently, the Executive Committee, which met in Geneva on May 14, 2003, decided to suspend José Rodriguez from his post on the Executive, pending the outcome of the allegations against him.
The IMF Executive Committee also clearly stated that José Rodriguez has the right to be considered innocent until the opposite has been proven.