The African Development Bank has decided to have an independent probe into allegations levelled against its President, Akinwunmi Adesina.
‘The bank has been under intense pressure from the United States, its highest shareholder outside Africa, for an independent probe of the AfDB president.
Allegations against Adesina bordered on questionable appointments, contract awards though the bank’s ethics committee had cleared him of all charges.
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Adesina is running for a second term in office.
Shortly after the ethics committee cleared Adesina of all wrongdoings heralded by a group of whistleblowers, the US treasury had questioned the integrity of the bank’s ethics committee and its internal process.
A statement by AfDB’s Bureau of the Board of Governors, said, “Based on the views of some governors on the matter and the need to carry every governor along in resolving it, the bureau agrees to authorise an independent review of the report ot the ethics committee of the Board of Governors relative to the allegations considered by the ethics committee and the submissions made by the President of the Bank group thereto in the interest of due process.”
It added, “The independent review shall be conducted by a neutral high calibre individual with unquestionable experience, high international reputation and integrity within a short period of not more than two to four weeks maximum, taking the Bank group electoral calendar into account.
“The Bureau agrees that, within a three to six months period and following the independent review of the ethics committee report, an independent comprehensive review of the implementation of the Bank’s group whistleblowing and complaints handling policy should be conducted with a view to ensuring that the policy is properly implemented, and revising it where necessary, to avoid situations of this nature in the future.”
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