© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Flags of China are displayed next to the logo of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in this illustration picture taken June 15, 2023. REUTERS/Florence Lo/Illustration/File Photo
BEIJING (Reuters) – The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank said on Friday it had found no evidence to support or validate allegations made by its former communications chief that it is dominated by the Chinese Communist Party, in a statement following an investigation.
In June, Bob Pickard announced on Twitter he had resigned from the bank because it was “dominated by Communist Party” members and had a “toxic culture,” allegations which the AIIB called “baseless” at the time.
Established by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2016 as a Chinese alternative to the World Bank and other Western-led multilateral lending institutions, AIIB has 106 members worldwide, including Pickard’s home country of Canada, which opened its own investigation into the allegations.
“The Internal Review confirms that AIIB’s governance structure functions as intended to deliver an apolitical, constructive, balanced and consensus-oriented decision culture,” the statement said.
Earlier this year, its president Jin Liqun said the AIIB would not get dragged into political disputes.
