DECISION ON THE AFRICAN UNION ADVISORY
BOARD ON CORRUPTION
Doc.EX.CL/879(XXVI)
The Executive Council,
1. TAKES NOTE of the Audit report of the Commission and the report of the AU Advisory Board on Corruption as well as comments of Member States in this regard;
2. EXPRESSES its grave concern at the alleged misappropriations by the former Executive Secretary of the funds allocated to the AU Advisory Board on Corruption since its installation in Arusha, Tanzania in 2012 with their disastrous consequences likely to seriously tarnish the image of the African Union, as a body established to fight against the scourge of corruption on the continent;
3. REQUESTS the Commission:
i) the AU Advisory Board on Corruption to urgently put in place an appropriate mechanism for effective collaboration between the two bodies to resolve all outstanding issues relating to the management of the AU Advisory Board on Corruption and report thereon to the June/July 2015 Summit;
ii) to accelerate the recruitment of an Executive Secretary for the AU Advisory Board on Corruption and ensure that recruitments made under the supervision of the former Acting Executive Secretary are cancelled and the related posts are re-advertised to attract candidates with the necessary skills and integrity;
iii) to take the necessary steps to improve the image of the AU Advisory Board on Corruption by effectively implementing all the recommendations of the audit reports and the final forensic report of experts as initiated by donors on Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and the ECA;
iv) to initiate appropriate legal action at the Headquarters of the AU Advisory Board on Corruption in Arusha, Tanzania against individuals identified on the basis of evidence obtained through the on-going investigations in this regard;
v) to ensure that individuals found guilty by a competent court bear the legal consequences of their actions and repay the misappropriated funds; this will have a deterrent effect on other AU officials and reaffirm the commitment of the African Union to resolutely fight corruption in Africa;
vi) to take disciplinary sanctions against the officials responsible for
embezzlement and misappropriation, in accordance with the AU Staff Regulations and Rules.