Pan African Lawyers Union Calls On AFDB To Defend Internal Due Process Mechanisms For Addressing Whistle Blower Complaints, Rejects US’ Call For Probe

The Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU) has called on the African Development Bank to “demonstrate Pan Africanism and defend their internal due process mechanisms for addressing whistle blower complaints.”

This is contained in a statement made available to TheNigeriaLawyer (TNL) dated 28th day of May, 2020 and signed by its President, Emeka J. P. Obegolu, FCIArb, FICMC

Chief Emeka Obegolu advised the bank “not be distracted from their focal mission which is to fight poverty and improve living conditions on the continent through promoting the investment of public and private capital in projects and programs that are likely to contribute to the economic and social development of the region.”

He said the rejection by the United States of America of plans by the African Development Bank’s Board to end an investigation into its president, Akinwumi Adesina, and called for an independent probe into allegations against him is “unfortunate and regrettable”

He said “…the intervention by the US Treasury, the AfDB’s biggest non-African shareholder, comes two weeks after the Ethics Committee of the Board of Directors had examined all the allegations of the whistleblower and dismissed all as baseless and unsubstantiated.
PALU notes, with satisfaction, that in compliance with the internal procedure and rules and regulations of the bank, the Board Chairman reviewed the Ethichs Committee report and following which he concurred with the report and exonerated Dr. Adesina of all the allegations.”

He calls on “the Board of the Bank to reject the call for an ‘independent investigation’ of the President as such is clearly outside the laid down rules, procedures and governing system of the bank and its articles as it relates to the Code of Conduct on Ethics for the President.”

According to PALU, it is “simple adherence to global best practices in governance to uphold the Rule of Law and respect the governance systems of the bank. Since those processes were duly followed it is unheard of for the rules to be changed because someone does not like the outcome.”

PALU therefore called on “all National and Continental leaders in Africa to resist undue interference in the governance systems of the African development Bank as it is an ill wind that will blow no good and is capable of derailing one of the best performing institutions on the continent.”