Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank. PHOTO | SAM PANTHAKY | AFP
The African Development Bank on Thursday launched an independent
inquiry into allegations of embezzlement and preferential treatment
against its embattled president Akinwumi Adesina, who is seeking
re-election in August, its board of governors said.
The
investigation into Adesina, a former Nigerian minister for agriculture,
follows calls for a probe by Washington, and must wrap up within a
"maximum" of four weeks as the institution prepares to elect a new head,
the board said in a statement.
Whistleblowers
In
April, whistleblowers submitted a 15-page report to the bank's
governors detailing alleged embezzlement, preferential treatment for
fellow Nigerians in senior appointments, and the promotion of people
suspected or convicted of fraud and corruption.
Adesina—who
was recently exonerated by an internal inquiry—is the first Nigerian to
be in charge of the 56-year-old AfDB, one of the world's five major
multilateral development banks.
Nigeria, whose stake makes it the bank's biggest shareholder, has made little secret of its support for Adesina.
On Tuesday, Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari told Adesina
that the country "will stand solidly behind" him in his bid to remain at
the helm of the bank.
New probe
The
bank chief repeated to Buhari his insistence the allegations against
him were trumped up and that the US call for a new probe was against the
bank's rules.
In October 2019, the AfDB raised $115 billion in fresh capital, an operation deemed a personal success for Adesina.
It is the only African institution which has a Triple-A rating by credit rating agencies.
No comments :
Post a Comment