????花旗發(fā)言人不愿就董事會(huì)在此事中扮演的角色發(fā)表評(píng)論，但表示，當(dāng)時(shí)是有所有權(quán)變更的“最終協(xié)議”，只是“尚未最后達(dá)成”。而且，“由于談判事關(guān)機(jī)密，（不能）對(duì)協(xié)議條款發(fā)表評(píng)論，”發(fā)言人在寫給我的電子郵件中說。“沒有提前公告?！?/p>

????任何公司的董事會(huì)都需要監(jiān)督最高管理層進(jìn)行的任何涉及公司資產(chǎn)的交易。他們應(yīng)該確保這是一項(xiàng)公平合理的交易，最符合公司、全體股東以及利益相關(guān)者的利益，披露恰當(dāng)而準(zhǔn)確。安然(Enron)當(dāng)初與時(shí)任首席財(cái)務(wù)官安德魯?法斯托的單邊安排就把它推上了風(fēng)口浪尖。今年，切薩皮克能源公司(Chesapeake)首席執(zhí)行官以其所持公司氣井權(quán)益作為擔(dān)保，取得巨額貸款，這樣非同尋常的安排也讓該公司備受抨擊。

????由于花旗過去也有過類似的安排，這樣的狀況值得關(guān)注。花旗集為表現(xiàn)不佳的Old Lane掏出了8億美元，據(jù)《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》報(bào)道，其中1.65億美元都進(jìn)了潘偉迪的口袋。

????雖然花旗集團(tuán)董事會(huì)的有些成員可能對(duì)CCA交易一無所知，但有幾位雇員知道這樁交易已經(jīng)有一段日子了。比如，據(jù)花旗集團(tuán)發(fā)言人稱，今年2月16日，約翰?哈文思和喬?多弗曼、吉姆?歐布萊恩一起向同事們發(fā)出了一份相關(guān)安排的備忘錄。

????現(xiàn)在是時(shí)候了，不能再停留于內(nèi)部備忘錄和無端猜測(cè)了?；ㄆ旒瘓F(tuán)，你們現(xiàn)在可以開口了。

????Eleanor Bloxham是董事會(huì)顧問公司價(jià)值同盟和公司治理同盟公司（The Value Alliance and Corporate Governance Alliance，http://thevaluealliance.com)的首席執(zhí)行官。

????譯者：早稻米

????Citi's spokesperson would not comment on the board's involvement in this matter, noting there was "a definitive agreement" for the ownership change but that it was "pending close." Further, "comment about the terms of the deal [can not be made] as the negotiations were private," the spokesperson wrote me. "There was no earlier public announcement."

????The board of any company ought to keep a close eye on deals with top managers that involve company assets. They should ensure that the deal is a fair and reasonable transaction, that it's in the best interests of the company and all of its shareholders and stakeholders, and that disclosures are appropriate and accurate. Enron ran into the buzz saw with its side arrangements with then-CFO Andrew Fastow. And this year, Chesapeake came under fire because of its highly unusual arrangement with its CEO's stake in the company's drilling operations.

????Given Citi's history with similar negotiations, the situation warrants attention. Citi forked over $800 million for underperforming Old Lane, $165 million of which Pandit pocketed, according to the New York Times.

????While it's possible that some members of Citi's board were in the dark about the CCA transaction, several employees have known about the deal for some time. John Havens, for one, along with Jon Dorfman and Jim O'Brien, wrote a memo to colleagues on February 16 about the arrangement, according to Citigroup's spokesperson.

????It's time to move beyond internal memos and speculation. Citigroup, it's time to start talking.

????Eleanor Bloxham is CEO of The Value Alliance and Corporate Governance Alliance (http://thevaluealliance.com), a board advisory firm.