In a letter to the International Monetary Fund Executive Board, Covington & Burling attorney Lanny Breuer raised concerns about alleged errors in the investigation report by law firm WilmerHale, hired by the World Bank to look into data irregularities in its "Doing Business" rankings. The report accused former World Bank CEO Georgieva of pressuring staff to boost China's ranking, which she denies. Breuer, a former US Justice Department official, made these claims as Georgieva seeks support from the IMF board, which interviewed both parties and will discuss the issue again on Friday. According to a source from the French Finance Ministry, France plans to support Georgieva at the upcoming board meeting. Georgieva has denied the accusations of pressuring staff to manipulate data, calling them "outrageous and untrue." Her attorney, Breuer, stated that Georgieva has not been formally notified or given a chance to review and respond to the report's findings as required by Staff Rule 3.00. Georgieva publicly released a detailed statement to the board on Thursday. The initial phase of the investigation by the WilmerHale firm focused on board officials in accordance with the Code of Conduct for Board Officials, which is different from the staff rule mentioned by Breuer. The firm stated that they followed all World Bank rules during their investigation and informed Dr. Georgieva that their report would be presented to the World Bank Board, with the possibility of disclosing any information she provided. In an email from July, WilmerHale informed Georgieva that their review of irregularities in Doing Business data and staff misconduct was authorized by World Bank Staff Rule 3.00. As World Bank CEO in 2017, Georgieva would have been considered a member of staff rather than a board official. The email sent to Georgieva requested her to speak with investigators as they believed she may have information that could assist in their review. The World Bank's General Counsel's office stated that the investigation into the Doing Business 2018 and 2020 reports was done in accordance with World Bank regulations.