OBINNA EZUGWU
An independent review panel constituted to look into allegations of corruption and abuse of office levelled against president of the African Development Bank (AFDB), Mr. Akinwunmi Adesina, has exonerated him.
The panel led by Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland in a document containing its report, said it agrees the findings of the bank’s ethics committee which had earlier absorbed Adesina of all allegations.
“The panel concurs with the committee in its findings in respect of all the allegations against the president and finds that they were properly considered and dismissed by the committee,” the document said.
Of the ethics committee investigation, the panel noted that, “It took proper note of the criteria laid down for evaluating complaints and the sufficiency of supporting evidence.
“It consulted PIAC and the auditor-general. It engaged in discussion and debate of each individual complaint and reached a consensus on the outcome. It applied the correct standard and prepared a report for submission to the chairperson of the bureau of the board of governors”.
The committee also said the evidence provided by Adesina in his own statements before the panel were found to be “consistent with his innocence and to be persuasive”
Recall that some whistleblower in the bank had accused Adesina of corruption, abuse of office and favouritism, which prompted an investigation by the bank’s ethics committee.
The committee later found him innocent, but the United States government said it was not satisfied by the findings of the committee and requested for an independent investigation
The US government has said in a letter signed by Steven Mnuchin, its treasury secretary that it had deep reservations about the integrity of the committee’s process”.
On June 5, Niale Kaba, chairperson of the bureau of the board of governors, said the bureau had agreed to authorise an independent review of the committee’s report in the interest of due process and the “need to carry every governor along in resolving it”.
