Editing Rodrigo Rato

{{Short description|Spanish politician and banker}}
{{BLP sources|date=October 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{family name hatnote|Rato|Figaredo|lang=Spanish}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name           = Rodrigo Rato
|image          = Rodrigo_de_Rato_y_Figaredo.jpg
|office         = Managing Director of the <br>[[International Monetary Fund]]
|term_start     = 7 June 2004
|term_end       = 1 November 2007
|predecessor    = [[Horst Köhler]]
|successor      = [[Dominique Strauss-Kahn]]
|office1        = [[Deputy Prime Minister of Spain|First Deputy Prime Minister of Spain]]
|primeminister1 = [[José María Aznar]]
|term_start1    = 3 September 2003
|term_end1      = 17 April 2004
|predecessor1   = [[Mariano Rajoy]]
|successor1     = [[María Teresa Fernández de la Vega]]
|office2        = [[Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (Spain)|Minister of Economy]]
|primeminister2 = [[José María Aznar]]
|term_start2    = 27 April 2000
|term_end2      = 17 April 2004
|predecessor2   = Position established
|successor2     = [[Pedro Solbes]]
|office3        = [[Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain]]
|primeminister3 = [[José María Aznar]]
|term_start3    = 6 May 1996 
|term_end3      = 4 September 2003
|predecessor3   = [[Juan Antonio García Díez]]
|successor3     = [[Javier Arenas (Spanish politician)|Javier Arenas]]
|office4        = [[Ministry of Economy and Finance (Spain)|Minister of Economy and Finance]]
|primeminister4 = [[José María Aznar]]
|term_start4    = 5 May 1996
|term_end4      = 27 April 2000
|predecessor4   = [[Pedro Solbes]]
|successor4     = [[Cristóbal Montoro]] {{small|(Finance)}}
|office5             = Member of the [[Congress of Deputies (Spain)|Congress of Deputies]]
|term_start5         = 21 November 1989
|term_end5           = 12 May 2004
|constituency5       = [[Madrid (Spanish Congress Electoral District)|Madrid]]
|term_start6         = 28 October 1982
|term_end6           = 21 November 1989
|constituency6       = [[Cádiz (Spanish Congress Electoral District)|Cádiz]]
|birth_name     = Rodrigo de Rato y Figaredo
|birth_date     = {{birth date and age|df=y|1949|3|18}}
|birth_place    = [[Madrid]], [[Francoist Spain|Spain]]
|death_date     = 
|death_place    = 
|party          = [[People's Party (Spain)|People's Party]]
|spouse         = {{marriage|Alicia Gonzalez|2015|}}            
|children       = 3
|relatives      = [[Ramón Rato]] {{small|(Father)}}
|education      = [[Complutense University of Madrid|Complutense University]]<br />[[University of California, Berkeley]]
}}
'''Rodrigo de Rato y Figaredo''' (born 18 March 1949) is a businessman and politician who served in the [[Council of Ministers (Spain)|Council of Ministers]] of [[Spain]] from 1996 to 2004. He also served as the ninth managing director of the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF) from 2004 to 2007 and the president of [[Bankia]] from 2010 to 2012.

Rato was arrested on 16 April 2015 for alleged [[fraud]], [[embezzlement]] and [[money laundering]].<ref>[http://www.rtve.es/noticias/20150416/registro-domicilio-rodrigo-rato/1131140.shtml «Rato, detenido en el registro de su vivienda en Madrid por supuestos delitos de fraude y blanqueo.»] [[RTVE]]. Retrieved 16 April 2015.</ref><ref name="BBC News 16 April 2015">{{cite web | title= Spanish police search home and off ex-IMF chief Rodrigo Rato |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32335842| author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|date= 16 April 2015 | website= BBC News | access-date= 16 April 2015}}</ref> His case was still awaiting trial a year later when his name appeared in the [[Panama Papers]].<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.europapress.es/videos/video-rodrigo-rato-tambien-papeles-panama-20160418104035.html
|title=Rodrigo Rato, también en los 'Papeles de Panamá'
|author=Europa Press
|date=18 April 2016
|work=europapress.es
}}</ref> Despite his prior assurances that he did not own companies in tax havens,<ref>
{{cite news
|url=http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2015/04/17/actualidad/1429274743_373299.html
|title=Rodrigo Rato: "No tengo sociedades en paraísos fiscales ni fuera de la UE"
|author=Íñigo de Barrón
|date=17 April 2015
|work=EL PAÍS
}}</ref> apparently he used two offshore companies to avoid taxes on millions of euros kept overseas.<ref>
{{cite web
|url=http://www.diariodenavarra.es/noticias/actualidad/nacional/2016/04/18/rato_tambien_los_papeles_panama_mas_millones_dos_offshore_448764_1031.html
|title=Nacional – Rodrigo Rato: Más de 3,6 millones de euros en dos offshore|author=EUROPA PRESS. MADRID
|date=18 April 2016|work=diariodenavarra.es
}}</ref> It has been alleged that he owes taxes to both the Spanish and Panamanian governments.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.elmundo.es/espana/2016/04/18/5714087ee2704ed7068b4632.html|title=Rodrigo Rato dejó a deber dinero incluso a la Hacienda de Panamá|website=ELMUNDO|date=18 April 2016 |access-date=18 April 2016}}</ref>

On 23 February 2017, Rato was found guilty of embezzlement of about 100,000 euros (in the so-called case "black cards") and sentenced to 4½ years' imprisonment.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jones|first1=Sam|title=Former IMF chief gets four years in jail for embezzlement in Spain|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/23/former-imf-chief-gets-four-years-jail-after-corruption-trial-in-spain|access-date=24 February 2017|work=The Guardian|date=23 January 2017}}</ref> In September 2018, the sentence was confirmed by the [[Supreme Court of Spain]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.eldiario.es/politica/Tarjetas-Rodrigo-Rato-Tribunal-Supremo_0_818918296.html|title=El Supremo confirma la condena de 4 años y seis meses de cárcel para Rodrigo Rato por las tarjetas black|work=eldiario.es|access-date=3 October 2018|language=es}}</ref> and Rato entered prison on 25 October 2018.<ref>[https://www.elmundo.es/economia/2018/10/25/5bd1a0a3468aeb546e8b45b5.html Rodrigo Rato ingresa en la prisión de Soto del Real: "Pido perdón a la sociedad"] {{in lang|es}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20181025175533/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-spain-corruption/ex-imf-head-rodrigo-rato-starts-jail-term-in-black-cards-case-idUKKCN1MZ21A Ex-IMF head Rodrigo Rato starts jail term in 'black cards' case]</ref>

==Early life and education==
Rodrigo de Rato was born in [[Madrid]], into a rich [[Textiles|textile]]-owning family from [[Asturias]]. He is the great-grandson of politician [[Faustino Rodríguez-San Pedro y Díaz-Argüelles]] and the son of businessman [[Ramón Rato]] who was jailed in 1967 for tax evasion to Switzerland through his Banco Siero,<ref>El único que dijo 'no' a la tarjeta black, Francisco Verdú. [http://www.elmundo.es/cronica/2015/03/01/54f19d74ca474116028b456e.html]. [[El Mundo (España)|El Mundo]], J. CASTRO VILLACAÑAS,  1 March 2015. Consultado el 9 de mayo de 2018.</ref> and of Aurora Figaredo Sela. Both the Rato and the Figaredo sides of his family owned industries and nobility titles.<ref>[http://www.lavozdeasturias.es/noticias/noticia.asp?pkid=199403 «Fallece Aurora Figaredo, la madre de Rodrigo Rato, a los 90 años.»] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120629013401/http://archivo.lavozdeasturias.es/html/199403.html |date=29 June 2012 }} ''La Voz de Asturias''.</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080120181651/http://tematico.asturias.es/cultura/ridea/fondosFigaredo.html Fondos Familia Figaredo (Real Instituto de Estudios Asturianos).]</ref>  Rato attended a [[Society of Jesus|Jesuit]] school [[Our Lady of Remembrance College, Madrid]] before studying law in the [[Complutense University of Madrid|Complutense University]].

In 1971 Rato went to [[University of California, Berkeley]], and received an [[Master of Business Administration|MBA]] in 1974 from the [[Haas School of Business]].

==Career==
===Early beginnings===
In 1975 Rato became involved in the family business, first in Fuensanta, an Asturian mineral water company, and then in two Madrid construction firms. He also became involved in expanding the ''Cadena Rato'' chain of radio stations.

In 1977 Rato joined the newly formed [[People's Alliance (Spain)|Popular Alliance]] (AP), a party containing former ministers of Franco, founded by [[Manuel Fraga]], a close personal friend of his father. In December 1979 Rato was elected to the national executive committee, and became secretary of the AP economic commission. In February 1981 he became one of the party's five Secretaries-General, and was considered to be their economic expert. He supported tight controls on public spending, and an emphasis on the [[Supply-side economics|supply side]] of economics. In October 1982 he won election as an AP member of the [[Congress of Deputies]] for [[Cádiz (Congress of Deputies constituency)|Cádiz]] in spite of having no connection to this [[Andalusia|Andalucian]] town. He represented the area until 1989 and subsequently represented [[Madrid (Spanish Congress Electoral District)|Madrid]] from 1989 to 2000.

The 1982 election handed a loss to the AP, and marked the beginning of the long rule of the [[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party|PSOE]] and [[Felipe González]]. Until 1984 Rato was the Secretary of the parliamentary group. He then became their economic affairs spokesman where he impressed the party with his attacks on the PSOE's economic policies. He was seen to be on the [[Liberalism|liberal]] wing of the party.

When Fraga resigned from the leadership in December 1986 Rato backed [[Miguel Herrero y Rodríguez de Miñón]] who lost the leadership race to [[Antonio Hernández Mancha]], but managed to keep his positions within the party. During these years he also continued his business career in Aguas de Fuensanta; having previously been the [[Chief executive officer|CEO]] of the company from 1978 to 1982, he served as chairman from 1985 to 1991.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://elpais.com/diario/2001/10/20/espana/1003528815_850215.html|date=20 October 2001|first=Xavier|last=Horcajo|title=Economía concedió una subvención de 22 millones a Aguas de Fuensanta|journal=[[El País]]}}</ref> In June 1989 Fraga again became interim President after the generally acknowledged failure of the leadership of Hernández Mancha. The party became the slightly more inclusive [[People's Party (Spain)|People's Party]] (PP). Rato was given shared responsibility over the elections with Francisco Álvarez-Cascos Fernández, the new party Secretary General. He was a close supporter of [[José María Aznar]], who was voted as the new PP leader on 4 September.

[[File:Wolfowitz,_Babacan_&_de_Rato_2006.jpg|left|thumb|Rodrigo de Rato (R), Turkey's Minister of Economy [[Ali Babacan]] (C), and [[World Bank]] President [[Paul Wolfowitz]] (L) shake hands after signing the memorandum of understanding for the 2009 IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings to be held in [[Turkey]].]]

On 29 October, the PP lost the general election, though his role in the campaign gave him national prominence. Afterwards he was appointed party spokesman. On 2 April 1990 his father sold the family stake in ''Cadena Rato'' for 5 billion [[Spanish peseta|pesetas]]. In June 1991 he stopped being President of Fuensanta, but remained on the board until 1993. On 6 June that year the PP lost another general election to PSOE. In the 12th National Congress in January 1996 he was confirmed as one of the three vice secretaries of the party.

===Minister of Economy and vice president===

Then on 3 March 1996 the PP won the [[1996 Spanish general election|general election]]. On 4 May Aznar became [[Prime Minister of Spain]], and on 6 May Rato became both second Vice President and [[Ministry of Economy (Spain)|Minister of Economy and Finance]]. On 12 March 2000 the PP won again, this time with an absolute majority. His ministries were reorganised, and he gave all his responsibilities to [[Cristóbal Montoro|Cristóbal Montoro Romero]] who became Minister of Finance. In his second term he had to fend off various charges of incompatibility between his public office and his private business interests.

===Managing Director of the IMF===

Rato became the managing director of the [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]] on 7 June 2004, taking over from [[Anne Osborn Krueger|Anne Krueger]], who had been acting as temporary Managing Director after [[Horst Köhler]], who at that time was nominated (and later elected) [[President of Germany]], resigned the post 4 March 2004.

In June 2007 Rato announced that he would resign from his post the following October, citing personal reasons. On 28 September 2007, the [[International Monetary Fund]]'s 24 executive directors elected former French [[Minister for Economics, Finance, and Industry (France)|Minister for Economics, Finance, and Industry]], [[Dominique Strauss-Kahn]], over former Czech Prime Minister [[Josef Tošovský]], to be the new managing director in succession to Rato.

==Career in the private sector==
===Bankia===
Rato assumed the presidency of [[Caja Madrid]] in 2010, a public [[savings bank]] based in the [[Community of Madrid]], and after a merger with other six saving banks he assumed the presidency of the new group now called [[Bankia]]. On 7 May 2012, he resigned amid growing concerns about the solvency of the bank. Although the core capital ratio was 10,4%, the Popular Party Government planned to lend about 8 billion euro to the bank to increase its solvency, as was done before throughout Europe (e.g. [[ING Group|ING]] and [[Northern Rock]] crisis). Due to his political ties to the governing PP, which decided to inject the funds, Rato resigned.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://economia.elpais.com/economia/2012/05/07/actualidad/1336394387_753458.html|title=Rato dimite como presidente de Bankia|trans-title=Rato resigns as president of Bankia|date=7 May 2012|newspaper=El Pais}}</ref> He had his salary cut from €2.3 million to €600,000 annually in 2011 due to new laws for rescued banks.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2011/12/30/economia/1325268623.html|title=Rodrigo Rato pasa de ganar 2,3 millones a 600.000 euros|newspaper=El Mundo}}</ref>

===Other activities===
* [[International Airlines Group]] (IAG), Member of the Board of Directors<ref>[http://www.iairgroup.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=240949&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1494053&highlight= Board of Directors] [[International Airlines Group]] (IAG).</ref>
* [[Mapfre]], Member of the Board of Directors (2010–2012)

==Arrest and conviction==
On 4 July 2012, Rato, along with 30 other former members of the board of directors of Bankia, were charged with accounting irregularities. Bloomberg Businessweek listed Rato as the worst CEO in 2012.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-12-13/the-worst-ceos-of-2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121216020529/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-12-13/the-worst-ceos-of-2012|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 December 2012|title=The Worst CEOs of 2012|newspaper=Businessweek}}</ref> In 2011, Bankia had announced profits of €309 million; after Rato resigned, the figure was amended to €3 billion in losses. In October 2014, it became known that between 24 October 2010 to 28 November 2011, Rato made 519 purchases with a secret corporate credit card, spending a total of €99,041. Among these purchases he spent in one day were €3,547 in alcoholic beverages and €1,000 in shoes, along with 16 cash withdrawals of more than €1,000, most of them during the last months of his presidential term.

After a hearing 17 October 2014, the Spanish High Court judge Fernando Andreu assigned civil responsibility for the credit card abuse to Rodrigo Rato and [[Miguel Blesa]]. Rato was ordered to pay a bond of €3 million,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/10/17/inenglish/1413540485_910210.html|title=Ex-IMF chief ordered to post €3m bond over Caja Madrid card abuse|newspaper=El Pais|date=17 October 2014|access-date=22 October 2014}}</ref> and was expelled from the People's Party (PP).<ref>[http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2014/10/27/actualidad/1414438407_470356.html El PP da de baja a Rato y a los 12 militantes de las tarjetas opacas]. ''El País'' (27 October 2014).</ref>

The case went to court in 2016. On 23 February 2017, Rato was convicted and sentenced to four and a half years in prison.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jones|first1=Sam|title=Former IMF chief gets four years in jail for embezzlement in Spain|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/23/former-imf-chief-gets-four-years-jail-after-corruption-trial-in-spain|access-date=24 February 2017|work=The Guardian|date=23 January 2017}}</ref>  In September 2018, the sentence was confirmed by the [[Supreme Court of Spain]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.eldiario.es/politica/Tarjetas-Rodrigo-Rato-Tribunal-Supremo_0_818918296.html|title=El Supremo confirma la condena de 4 años y seis meses de cárcel para Rodrigo Rato por las tarjetas black|work=eldiario.es|access-date=3 October 2018|language=es}}</ref> and Rato entered prison on 25 October 2018.<ref>[https://www.elmundo.es/economia/2018/10/25/5bd1a0a3468aeb546e8b45b5.html Rodrigo Rato ingresa en la prisión de Soto del Real: "Pido perdón a la sociedad"] {{in lang|es}}</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20181025175533/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-spain-corruption/ex-imf-head-rodrigo-rato-starts-jail-term-in-black-cards-case-idUKKCN1MZ21A Ex-IMF head Rodrigo Rato starts jail term in 'black cards' case]</ref> He was held in [[solitary confinement]] under the [[FIES]] regime.<ref name="FIES">{{cite news |last1=López-Fonseca |first1=Óscar |title=Interior incluye a los 15 presos de las black en un fichero de reclusos de "especial seguimiento" |url=https://elpais.com/economia/2019/01/15/actualidad/1547551541_569281.html |access-date=27 March 2023 |work=El País |date=15 January 2019 |language=es}}</ref> In 2020, the High Court acquitted Rato in a separate trial over falsifying accounts and other charges in the listing of Bankia when he was the bank’s chairman. It later granted him a semi-release which allowed him to serve the rest of his sentence in partial liberty.<ref>Jesús Aguado and Emma Pinedo (October 1, 2020), [https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN26M6OX Former IMF chief Rato to leave Spanish prison on semi-release from embezzlement sentence] ''[[Reuters]]''.</ref>

In December 2024, Rato was sentenced to a four-year jail term over tax crimes, corruption and money laundering committed in Spain during his tenure as head of [[Bankia]]. He was also fined more than two million euros and ordered to return 568,413 euros to Spain's tax authorities. Rato said he would appeal.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Aguado |first=Jesús |date=2024-12-20 |title=Ex-IMF chief Rato sentenced to new prison term over corruption |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ex-imf-chief-rato-sentenced-4-years-9-months-prison-over-corruption-case-2024-12-20/ |access-date=2024-12-20 |work=Reuters}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Rodrigo Rato has been married to journalist and editor-in-chief of the newspaper ''El Pais'' Alicia Gonzalez since 2015.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline}}
*[http://www.imf.org/external/np/omd/bios/rrf.htm IMF biography]
*[https://www.theguardian.com/business/story/0,3604,1210474,00.html Guardian article on his appointment]
*[http://www.cidob.org/biografias_lideres_politicos/europa/espana/rodrigo_rato_figaredo Biography by CIDOB] (in Spanish)
*[http://www.project-syndicate.org/contributors/contributor_comm.php4?id=723 Rodrigo de Rato's Project Syndicate op/eds]

{{S-start}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Luis Ramallo]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=Leader of the [[People's Party (Spain)|People's Party Group]] in the [[Congress of Deputies]] |years=1989–1996}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Luis de Grandes]]}}
{{S-off}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Juan Antonio García Díez]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Second Vice President (Spain)|Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain]]|years=1996–2003}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Javier Arenas (Spanish politician)|Javier Arenas]]}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Pedro Solbes]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Minister of Economy and Finance (Spain)|Ministry of Economy and Finance]] |years=1996–2000}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Cristóbal Montoro]] <br/>{{small|(Finance)}}}}
{{S-bef|before= Himself<br/>{{small|(Economy and Finance)}}}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Minister of Economy and Finance (Spain)|Ministry of Economy]] |years=2000–2004}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Pedro Solbes]] <br/>{{small|(Economy and Finance)}}}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Mariano Rajoy]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[First Vice President of the Government (Spain)|First Deputy Prime Minister of Spain]]|years=2003–2004}}
{{S-aft|after=[[María Teresa Fernández de la Vega]]}}
{{S-diplomatic}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Horst Köhler]]}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[Managing Director]] of the [[International Monetary Fund]]|years=2004–2007}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Dominique Strauss-Kahn]]}}
{{S-end}}

{{IMF Managing Directors}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rato, Rodrigo}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Madrid]]
[[Category:People's Party (Spain) politicians]]
[[Category:Complutense University of Madrid alumni]]
[[Category:Economy and finance ministers of Spain]]
[[Category:Managing directors of the International Monetary Fund]]
[[Category:Haas School of Business alumni]]
[[Category:Members of the 2nd Congress of Deputies (Spain)]]
[[Category:Members of the 3rd Congress of Deputies (Spain)]]
[[Category:Members of the 4th Congress of Deputies (Spain)]]
[[Category:Members of the 5th Congress of Deputies (Spain)]]
[[Category:Members of the 6th Congress of Deputies (Spain)]]
[[Category:Members of the 7th Congress of Deputies (Spain)]]
[[Category:Members of the 8th Congress of Deputies (Spain)]]
[[Category:Deputy prime ministers of Spain]]
[[Category:People named in the Panama Papers]]
[[Category:Politicians convicted of embezzlement]]
[[Category:Spanish politicians convicted of crimes]]
[[Category:Spanish prisoners and detainees]]
[[Category:Spanish officials of the United Nations]]
[[Category:Directors of Bankia]]
[[Category:Prisoners and detainees of Spain]]
[[Category:Our Lady of Remembrance College, Madrid alumni]]