Hank Paulson, US Treasury secretary, on Tuesday backed calls by Paul Wolfowitz’s lawyer for more time for the World Bank president to respond to a report that found he broke conflict of interest rules in his handling of a secondment package for his girlfriend Shaha Riza.

A spokeswoman for Mr Paulson said: “from the start secretary Paulson has said that president Wolfowitz is a dedicated public ­servant who deserves a fair process rather than a rush to judgment. That includes ­sufficient time to review the ad hoc committee’s report and respond, as well as sufficient time for the ad hoc committee to consider his response to the report.”