Klaus Schwab, the founder of the Global economic forumis at the center of a growing scandal according to preliminary findings from an internal investigation into allegations of non -authorized expenses, misconduct at work and manipulation of important research reports were leaked to several media. The examination of Schwab, which was launched at the beginning of this year in response to Whistleblower complaints, threatens the WEF leader’s legacy and the reputation of the forum, which he led over five decades. Preliminary findings from investigators identified more than 1 million US dollars of questionable expenses, which were charged by Schwab together with several other personal behavior and ethical concerns.
Schwab, who began in 1971 WEF and Davos transformed into a center of Elite International Networking and Diplomacy, resigned from his role as chairman of the board in April, as the Whistleblower prints were under pressure. He was expected Stay by 2027.
The investigation, carried out by the Swiss law firm Homburger and reports, from the WEF curatorium of the WEF. over 1.1 million US dollars noted In questionable travel expenses from Schwab and his wife Hilde. Many of the editions covered the couple’s first -class tickets for the forum business. Hilde, however, does not play a formal role in the organization and was supposedly simply accompanied her husband.
The investigators also found around 63,000 US dollars, which were assigned to Venice, Miami, the Seychelles and other luxury goals for the Schwab’s trip. The youngest of these trips were a one -week stay in Morocco from the end of December 2024 to the beginning of January 2025. According to reports, these specific travel expenses had little or no indication of a connection to the forum.
Apart from the travel expenses, the investigators found The Wall Street Journal. The report submitted that Schwab later paid about half of these services. However, Schwab reported that he always instructed assistants to calculate him for massages.
The investigators also found that Schwab and his wife used a driver paid by WEF on certain holidays and invited the organization for their land line and the cell phone used by their maid in Geneva. Further advantages of the couple were worked out for WEF, but not reported on profit and loss accounts, the probe found.
A spokesman for Schwab told The journal The Schwab driver earns itself as security and was used to alleviate potential security risks. As far as the telephone plans are concerned, the spokesman informed that the spokesman informed magazine These costs were justified in view of the work volume and the WEF-related hosting in Schwab’s residence.
Further concerns were based on work on a luxury mobile that leads WEF named Villa Mundi in Switzerland in Switzerland. The investigators say that the Schwabs have hired a design company that they had personally used in 2019 to carry out costly renovations inside the property. Then, as you claim, Hilde largely used WEF ownership for private use, the investigators found. According to reports, the Schwabs reported the direction of the internal design project or the use of the building for private events.
In the report, several gifts that were allegedly received by Schwab, including Russian tea sets, were described in personalized Tiffany Cufflinks and fur coats that are supposed to violate the organization’s guidelines.
In an explanation by a spokesman too The journalSchwab contested any misconduct and quoted a long-term “good understanding” between the forum and the Schwab-Foundation-one affiliated non-profit organization, chaired by his wife, to justify some of the expenses. He emphasized that he entrusted assistants to separate private travel expenses from the work and swore the expenses that were classified as personally after the examination.
As far as the gifts are concerned, Schwab’s spokesman said that the WEF founder donated most of the gifts to charitable purposes and exhibited others, including the Russian tea sets, in WEF’s headquarters. Schwab said he did not remember the other gifts described by investigators.
“During this trip, Hilde and I never used the forum for personal enrichment,” said Schwab in a written explanation The journal.
According to the first details of the investigation first appeared In the Swiss press on Sunday, Schwab accused the WEF board of Violation of an agreement To keep the examination process confidentially and to say: “I feel deceived. I am not available for further investigations,” said an explanation that was presented The Finance times. He added that he was fully worked with the investigation and promised to defend his reputation “with all my strength, even in the context of a legal dispute”.
The WEF’s board of trustees refused to explicitly address the results of the investigation, but recognized the seriousness of the claims in an explanation to the seriousness Assets.
“The board of trustees of the World Economic Forum condemns the indiscretions in connection with the investigation of Whistleblower’s allegations against Klaus Schwab,” WEF told Fortune. “The board of trustees emphasizes the importance of an investigation of the law firm, which is free of external influences. The board of trustees is only responsible for the assessment and evaluation of the results of the investigation. The board of trustees is not directed by speculations and interpretations in the media, but only the facts that result from the examination.”
It is expected Time frame In which invitations to the Davos summit 2026 they should be sent.
