Buhari rejoices, as AfDB independent panel clears Adesina of wrongdoing

TRACKING___An independent panel of experts, headed by former Irish President, Mary Robinson, has cleared the President of African Development Bank, AfDB, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, of corruption, according to Agence France Presse, AFP.

Adesina, 60, became the first Nigerian to head the AfDB in 2015.

A 15-page report released earlier in the year, claimed that under his watch, the bank had been tarred by poor governance, impunity, personal enrichment and favouritism.

This is even as President Muhammadu Buhari hailed Adesina’s clearance, describing it as a manifestation of his competence and integrity.

The panel of three experts, led by Robinson, alongside Gambia’s Chief Justice, Hassan Jallow, and the World Bank’s integrity vice president, Leonard McCarthy, cleared Adesina of all charges alleged by whistleblowers.

The United States had insisted that an independent panel reviewed the findings of the AfDB committee that investigated allegations of wrongdoing against Adesina and exonerated him.

Speaking on the standards that the AfDB ethics committee used in investigating the whistleblower’s claims, the panel wrote in its report: “It took proper note of the criteria laid down for evaluating complaints and the sufficiency of supporting evidence.

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.”

The report clearing Adesina of any wrong doing, said: “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.’’

Adesina, who is the sole candidate for the bank’s August’s presidential elections, had been battered by the allegations after the whistleblowers’ complaints were leaked to the media in April.

Reacting to the development yesterday, President Buhari rejoiced with the AfDB president, saying his clearance was a further validation of his competence and integrity to lead the institution.