African Development Bank rightly cleared its president of wrongdoing
An independent review has found that the African Development
Bank rightly cleared its president, Akinwumi Adesina, of abuse of office,
paving the way for him to seek a second term.
Whistleblowers in January accused Adesina, who has held the
AfDB’s top job since 2015, of abuses of office including favouritism in hiring
fellow Nigerians, and giving out overly generous severance packages. He had
denied the accusations.
A report by the bank’s ethics board in April cleared him of
malfeasance but the United States, AfDB’s second-largest shareholder, rejected
the internal investigation and demanded an independent panel review the case.
The panel, led by former Irish President Mary Robinson,
agreed with the decision of the bank’s ethics committee, according to its final
report, seen by Reuters.
The allegations against Adesina “were properly considered
and dismissed by the Committee,” it said.
The AfDB declined immediate comment. The U.S. Treasury could
not be reached for comment.
The United States pushed for the original decision to be
reviewed over reservations about the integrity of the bank’s process. This put
it at odds with the lender’s largest shareholder, Nigeria, which had voiced
support for Adesina.
The exoneration of Adesina, a former Nigerian agriculture
minister, frees him to seek re-election as the head of the multilateral lender.
His first term ends on Aug. 31 and he is expected to run unopposed.
The bank faces challenging economic problems caused by the
coronavirus pandemic. The Abidjan-based bank forecasts a 3.4% contraction in
Africa’s economy in 2020 compared with a pre-pandemic projection of 3.9%
growth.
In April, the AfDB announced a $10-billion emergency credit
facility to support the continent’s coronavirus-hit economies.
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