AfDB swears in new sanctions commissioners to check corruption

The Afican Development Bank (AfDB), has sworn-in new sanctions and alternate sanctions commissioners in its bid to check allegations of corruption, fraud and associated wrongful practices in the Bank Group.

The AfDB on September 10, swore-in two experts, Justin Wanjala and Justice Niyungeko, with more than 35 years of combined experience in the legal field as the Bank Group’s new sanctions commissioner and alternate sanctions commissioner respectively.

The AfDB said “as the bank’s sanctions commissioner and alternate sanctions commissioners, Justices Wanjala and Niyungeko will decide on allegations of corruption, fraud and associated wrongful practices in connection with Bank Group-financed activities.

“They will issue sanctions against individuals and entities whose liability is established following a written and adversarial process”.

The sanctions commissioners will operate within the sanctions office, the first-tier of the sanctions system as essential component in the fight against corruption at the bank.

The two experts were appointed by the Board of Directors in July 2019 for a three-year term, upon the recommendation of President Akinwumi Adesina.

Commissioner Wanjala, a Kenyan national, is currently a Justice of the Supreme Court of Kenya.

He had been a lecturer in law at the University of Nairobi for 20 years and deputy director of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission.

Alternate commissioner Niyungeko is a Burundian national and is currently a professor of international law and constitutional law at the University of Burundi.

He has previously served as a judge and then president of the African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights.

According to the bank, at the end of the ceremony, Justices Wanjala and Niyungeko made a courtesy call to AfDB boss, Akinwumi Adesina, who congratulated them on their appointments urging them to uphold the bank’s values of accountability, transparency, fairness and credibility.

The swearing-in ceremony of Justin Wanjala and Justice Niyungeko, was chaired by Senior Vice President Charles Boamah, in the presence of members of the Board of Directors, the General Counsel and the Secretary General.