The World Bank crisis enters what is likely to be its decisive phase today, when the panel investigating Paul Wolfowitz presents its final report to the full bank board.

All eyes will be on whether, in the light of a final attempt at rebuttal by the bank president's lawyers, who presented new documents to back up their case, the panel reaffirms or qualifies its draft finding that his handling of a secondment for Shaha Riza, his girlfriend, broke the bank's ethics rules.