US Calls For Fresh Probe Of AFDB President, Faults, Knocks Bank’s Ethics C’ttee
US Calls For Fresh Probe Of AFDB President, Faults, Knocks Bank’s Ethics C’ttee
The United States government has called for a fresh and in-depth investigation into the allegations against the President of African Development Bank, Mr Akinwumi Adesina, after he was cleared of all allegations of impropriety and fraud by the ethics committee recently, is seen as a plan to destabilise the bank.
On May 5, the ethics committee of the continental bank, headed by Takuji Yano, said in its report that Mr Adesina was not guilty on all counts. Mr Yano is a Japanese executive director charged with the responsibility of investigating allegations by some concerned employees against the official.
The committee described the allegations that he (Mr Adesina) violated the code of conduct of the institution as “spurious and unfounded”.
But the U.S. government, in a letter dated May 22, 2020, to Ms Kaba, through the Secretary, Department of Treasury in Washington, D.C., faulted the decision of the committee to exonerate Adesina of all allegations, saying it was not yet time to make such a declaration.
Some of the African countries are saying there was no need for the probe except the US was saying Adesina was guilty of the allegations.
But a source close to the Dr Adesina said last night that he remained calm, resolute and would not be distracted as all 55 African Heads of State and Governments as well as critical non-regional members of the Bank have applauded the achievements of the Bank in the last five years. The source said the ultimate objective of the call by the US was clearly to destabilize the African Development Bank and “this is a typical colonial agenda.’’
“They have watched with disdain, the steady rise of the Bank in global reckoning and they want to systematically assault the Bank’s AAA rating.
