The curious case of IMF heads and their downfall

HOW have the mighty fallen. First, former International Monetary Fund managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn was arrested in New York and paraded in handcuffs after being accused of molesting a hotel maid, and now his predecessor Rodrigo Rato was shoved into a police car last Friday while officials conducted a search in connection with alleged financial crimes.

On top of these goings-on, current IMF managing director Christine Lagarde underwent two days of questioning by French judges two years ago over alleged complicity in embezzlement of state funds. She has still not been completely cleared in the investigation of an out-of-court settlement for businessman Bernard Tapie when she was finance minister of France.

Is there something about this particular office that predisposes its incumbents to act in ways unbecoming of such high office? Is it something about the IMF itself that conduces towards such behaviour? Or could it be that someone has a "grudge" against the institution?