Mary Robinson to lead probe into African Development Bank chief

Agence France-Presse

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Former Irish president Mary Robinson will lead a panel that will look into corruption allegations against African Development Bank chief Akinwumi Adesina

LENDER. The African Development Bank headquarters in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Photo from AfDB website

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast – Ireland’s former president Mary Robinson will lead a panel to investigate the leader of the African Development Bank (AfDB), accused by whistleblowers of corruption, the bank said.

Akinwumi Adesina, 60, a charismatic speaker known for his elegant suits and bow ties, became the first Nigerian to helm the AfDB in 2015 – but a 15-page report earlier this year claimed that under his watch the bank had been tarred by poor governance, impunity, personal enrichment, and favoritism.

He was cleared by the organization’s ethics committee, but international pressure has mounted with the United States calling in May for an independent investigation.

Robinson will lead the probe, alongside Gambia’s Chief Justice Hassan Jallow and the World Bank’s integrity vice president Leonard McCarthy, the bank’s board of governors said in a release on Wednesday, July 1.

The governors of the AfDB, one of the world’s 5 largest multilateral development lenders, expressed “their complete confidence” in the panel.

Robinson – a barrister by training – led Ireland from 1990 to 1997 before serving as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights until 2002.

The inquiry is due to deliver its findings in 2 to 4 weeks.

The AfDB plays an important if largely behind-the-scenes role in African economies, financing projects in agriculture, health, energy, education, transport, and other development sectors. – Rappler.com

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