I’m sure you have all heard about the wave of allegations knocking on Flutterwave’s CEO’s door – from financial impropriety, conflict of interest, and sexual harassment. And while he’s been silent for the last few weeks he has finally spoken out in an email sent to his employees addressing the claims.
“I’m writing today because I want you to know how concerned I am about the impact that reading the false allegations against our company has had on you all,” he wrote, according to an email obtained by TechCrunch.
It continued, saying: “The fact that the allegations of financial impropriety, conflict of interest, and sexual harassment have been proved false or have already been reported, investigated, and addressed by management matters less to me than the reality that these claims may have shaken your confidence in the company. As founder and CEO, it is my responsibility to address the concerns you may have, and this will be a priority for me moving forward.”
The comments made by the chief executive come just several days after a report by West African Weekly, a Substack newsletter written by journalist David Hundeyin, revealed several allegations against the startup and Agboola ranging from fraud and perjury to insider trading and sexual harassment.
Away from this – three days ago, TechCabal, a publication focused on African tech, in an interview with ex-CEO Iyinoluwa Aboyeji said it received a statement from Flutterwave’s management that read: “the blog post in question is based on recycled and previously addressed claims and several others that are false.”
Agboola, in the email seen by TechCrunch, said: “The allegations about how I started the company are untrue. I shared with you during the retreat that a former boss helped us close one of our enterprise clients. I am thankful for the learning and mentorship I received at the numerous employers I worked at before starting Flutterwave.
“We followed all legal processes and procedures, including obtaining board approval when needed, when approving the sale of shares,” he wrote. “In addition, we work closely with our outside law firms to stay in compliance with all applicable regulations.
We have previously investigated employee sexual harassment allegations (including those made against me, and of which I was cleared) and terminated employees who have been inappropriate towards team members. We have had independent third party reviews which gave birth to the We Hear You and whistleblowing policies that you all know of today. We have always had a zero-tolerance policy [to] sexual harassment and we will continue to take action when necessary. No exceptions.”
