Economics

Bundesbank Tears Into IMF for Overstepping, Wasting Money

Germans appalled by spendthrift Keynesianism

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Germany's central bank has launched a blistering attack on the International Monetary Fund, accusing officials of spraying around money like confetti and overstepping their legal mandate.

 "The IMF is evolving from a liquidity mechanism into a bank. This is neither in keeping with the legal and institutional role of the IMF or with its ability to handle risks," said the Bundesbank in its monthly report.

The bank said the Fund was right to help rescue Greece, Ireland and Portugal but said monitoring levels were slipping and there had been a "watering down" of standards. The scale of loans risks "overwhelming the IMF's institutional structure".