Office of Suspension and Debarment

Email : jsmith@worldbank.org

Jamieson Smith is the Chief Suspension and Debarment Officer for the World Bank. In this role, he reviews sanctions cases and determines whether to suspend the contracting eligibility of respondent firms and individuals. Mr. Smith has spoken on multilateral institutions’ approach to anti-corruption at various domestic and international conferences, including events in France, Côte d'Ivoire, Brazil, Italy, South Africa, Denmark, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Before coming to OSD in March 2010, Mr. Smith was an attorney in private practice, where he represented corporations and individuals in a wide variety of white collar criminal and regulatory matters, including alleged violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. He has conducted internal investigations in China, Egypt, Indonesia, Brazil, Croatia, Italy and Czechia, and also advised clients with respect to compliance and corporate governance issues. Mr. Smith also teaches a course on international anti-corruption efforts as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center. A native of Massachusetts, Mr. Smith received his A.B., cum laude, from Duke University, and his J.D., magna cum laude, from Duke University's School of Law, where he was a member of Law & Contemporary Problems. He also earned his M.A. in American Legal History from the University of Virginia.

Email : cswan@worldbank.org

Collin Swan is Counsel (Sanctions) in OSD at the World Bank, where he assists the Chief Suspension and Debarment Officer in reviewing sanctions cases and determining whether to suspend the contracting eligibility of respondent firms and individuals.  Prior to joining the World Bank, Mr. Swan worked as a government contracts associate at Wiley Rein LLP and served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Jimmie V. Reyna on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. He is also an Associate Editor for the Public Contract Law Journal and has been a Professorial Lecturer in Law at the George Washington University Law School since 2014, where he teaches courses on government contracts and scholarly writing.  A native of Pennsylvania, Mr. Swan received his B.A., summa cum laude, from the George Washington University, and his J.D., with highest honors, from the George Washington University Law School.  During law school, he won both the National Contract Management Association’s writing award and the Public Contract Law Journal writing competition. His publications include works in the Journal of National Security Law and Policy, the Public Contract Law Journal, the George Washington Law Review and the Journal of Contract Management.

Email : amanea@worldbank.org

Alexandra Manea is Counsel (Sanctions) in OSD, where she works with the Chief Suspension and Debarment Officer on the review and disposition of sanctions cases. Previously, she worked for the World Bank’s Legal Vice Presidency as a core member of the African Mining Legislation Atlas (AMLA), a project aiming to enhance the transparency of Africa’s mining sector and to mainstream anti-corruption integrity provisions in the mining legislation across the continent. Prior to joining the World Bank in 2014, Ms. Manea worked as a private sector attorney, as a consultant for the Romanian National Anti-Corruption Strategy in Education and as assistant professor of public international law. She holds a PhD in International Anti-Corruption Law, completed in a joint program at University “TM” of Bucharest in Romania, Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel and American University in the US with a Fulbright scholarship. Ms. Manea is a Romanian national and holds a law degree from Babes-Bolyai University in Romania and Bourgogne University in France. Ms. Manea is also a board member of the World Bank Group – International Monetary Fund Fulbright Alumni Network.

Email : gklarson@worldbank.org

Gaukhar Larson is Counsel (Sanctions) in the World Bank’s Office of Suspension and Debarment (OSD), where she works with the Chief Suspension and Debarment Officer to review sanctions cases and determine whether to suspend the contracting eligibility of respondent firms and individuals. Prior to joining OSD, Ms. Larson worked at the International Finance Corporation’s Business Risk and Compliance Department on integrity, regulatory risk, tax and compliance matters. Earlier, she worked with the World Bank’s Financial Market Integrity Unit and Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative (StAR) on anti-corruption and financial disclosure matters.  Before joining the World Bank Group in 2014, Ms. Larson worked for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and two international law firms.  As an attorney in private practice, she investigated and litigated complex international fraud matters and advised local and international clients on regulatory and compliance matters. A native of Kazakhstan, Ms. Larson earned an LL.M. in Securities and Financial Regulation from Georgetown University Law Center, an LL.M. from The George Washington University Law School and an LL.B. in International Law, with highest honors, from Kazakh National University.

Email : sahlhauser@worldbank.org

Shirin Ahlhauser is a Legal Consultant (Sanctions) in OSD, where she assists the counsels and the Chief Suspension and Debarment Officer in reviewing sanctions cases and determining whether to suspend the contracting eligibility of respondent firms and individuals. Prior to joining the Bank, Ms. Ahlhauser worked with the U.S. General Services Administration, the U.S. Trade Representative and Baker and Mckenzie’s Shanghai office. She graduated from the George Washington University Law School, where she co-founded the law school’s Anti-Corruption & Compliance Association.  Ms. Ahlhauser also lived in China for six years and graduated from Nanjing University with a Masters in International Law (courses taught in Mandarin Chinese). During law school in China, she participated in the Jessup International Law Moot Court competition and served as co-president of Nanjing Community Outreach, a community service organization. A native of Tennessee, Ms. Ahlhauser received her B.S., magna cum laude, from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in Political Science.

Email : bguler@worldbank.org

Berk Guler is the Paralegal in OSD. In this position, Mr. Guler prepares all logistical tasks for issuing cases, conducts anti-corruption-related research, and produces reports and other statistics related to the caseload. Prior to joining OSD, Mr. Guler worked as a transfer pricing associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP in McLean, Virginia. Mr. Guler is a Turkish national who grew up in Izmir before coming to the United States in 2010 to continue his studies. He is fluent in Turkish and English. Mr. Guler graduated from Georgetown University with a B.A., magna cum laude, in Economics (Honors) and Government, and a minor in Business Administration. He is a 2021 J.D. candidate from Georgetown University Law Center.

Email : hxue1@worldbank.org

Haiyue (Stephanie) Xue is a Legal Assistant in OSD. Ms. Xue prepares all logistical tasks for issuing cases, conducts anti-corruption-related research and produces reports and other statistics related to the caseload. Prior to joining OSD, Ms. Xue worked at the Brookings Institution and the Wilson Center. Ms. Xue is a Chinese national who grew up in Shenzhen before coming to Washington, DC to continue her studies. Fluent in Chinese and English with knowledge of Japanese and Korean, she graduated from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University with a B.S.F.S., summa cum laude, in Regional and Comparative Studies (Honors).

Email : cwachtell@worldbank.org

Caroline Wachtell is the Program Assistant in OSD. In this position, Ms. Wachtell performs daily tasks equivalent to an Administrative Officer and additionally conducts anti-corruption-related research for the office. Prior to joining OSD, Ms. Wachtell worked for the Council of Women World Leaders at the United Nations Foundation. Ms. Wachtell is a Danish and American national who grew up in Denmark before coming to Washington, DC to continue her studies. Fluent in Danish and English, she graduated from the College at Georgetown University with a B.A. in English and a minor in Government.