Addis Ababa, May 1, 2024 (Addis Walta) The African Union (AU) announced that it is working closely with the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia to strengthen precautions and implement higher protocols against recent fraudulent attempts on its bank account in Addis Ababa.
The AU released an official statement concerning the incident occurred on April 15, 2024 where non-staff individual attempted to withdraw USD 6 million using forged documents from CBE branch within AU premise.
The statement indicated that the fraudulent attempt to unlawfully withdraw funds from its accounts is successfully thwarted “resulting in no funds being withdrawn, averting a potential loss and ensuring that the integrity of our financial controls and management remain intact.”
The AU appreciated the vigilance and swift action of the CBE staff and the AU finance department who successfully thwarted the fraudulent attempt.
Following the identification of the fake documents brought by the individual, the AU informed the issue to the relevant security authorities of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, and prompt action was taken to ensure the person(s) involved were identified and held in line with their investigative procedures.
“The AU is treating this matter with utmost seriousness,” reads the released statement, “We remain committed to upholding the highest standards of financial governance and ethics internally and with all our financial services providers as we continue to support the development and integration of our continent.”