ROME – FAO Latin America Chief Forestry officer Jorge Meza evidently has disregarded the director general’s ban on croneyism, adjudicating a long term consultancy to girlfriend Maria Mercedes Proaño, FAO sources say.

 Italian Insider reported July 21 how Brazilian DG José Graziano da Silva ordered the FAO’s boss for Latin America to “get your lover off the payroll.”

 A well-placed source in Santiago, Chile,  said “it seems things have not changed so much in FAO's LATAM HQ.”

 “Today, the Chief Forestry Officer Jorge Meza adjudicated a long term consultancy (VACO11/14 FAO GEF Project Task Manager (PTM)) to his compatriot and old friend Maria Mercedes Proaño,” said the source, asking not to be identified.

 “He did so against the selection panel's preferences and after even re-opening the vacancy so Ms Proaño could apply, given that she missed the original deadline.”

 FAO’s chief Latam lumberjack and statuesque Ms Proano both hail from Ecuador while previously Meza was FAO representative in Paraguay, before recently being promoted to the position where he immediately made use of his new influence. 

 In another development, meanwhile, Telma Viale, a sultry Salvadorean Samba dancer who the Brazilian DG tried unsuccessfully to have made head of Human Resources at FAO HQ in Rome last year evidently has made a comeback and looks set to become deputy head of HR to the German lady who beat her for the top personnel job.

 Graziano dropped plans to make Ms Viale head of HR after Italian Insider disclosed that she had made a video of her singing at the end of which she strips to the buff.