Agency in corruption probe set to expand

Article reports that a scandal-hit European aid programme might be enlarged despite being the focus of a multi-million euro corruption inquiry. The European Union has backed reform of the Centre for the Development of Enterprise (CDE), which distributes aid to industry in the developing world, before fully investigating allegations that its former director gave contracts to companies in which he had a stake and misused a loan of €3.7m ($5.9m, £3m), critics say.

CDE is an ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific)/EU joint Institution created in the framework of the Cotonou Agreement. CDE’s financial resources mainly come from the European Development Fund (EDF). Its objective is to ensure the development of professional ACP enterprises operating in the private sector. CDE operates in complementarity with the European Commission, the Secretariat of the ACP Group of States and the European Investment Bank in the framework of support to the private sector.

Website: Centre for the Development of Enterprise(CDE) http://www.cde.int/

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