| BY Asarat Seyoum | A senior UK government official disclosed that his government is waiting for the final results of the investigation by BBC Trust into the allegation made against the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) .

Sir Gus O’Donnell, UK civil service head and cabinet secretary, told The Reporter that the UK government is taking the matter seriously and will  follow the development of the report into the investigation. However, he underscored that the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a fully independent media organization and that the government cannot intervene in the investigation process. He said that the responsible party in the investigation is BBC Trust, which is the proper regulatory body of the media corporation. O’Donnell also said that he hoped the result of the investigation would be disclosed soon.

The report accused TPLF of spending 95 million dollars of relief assistance to purchase armament during the armed struggle with the Derg regime.

The alleged incident happened in 1984/85 when a major food shortage struck the areas which were under the then rebel forces of TPLF.

Aside to meeting a number of government officials, O’Donnell gave a public lecture at the Addis Ababa University (AAU) on the role of civil service in responding to global challenges and addressed questions on how to make the civil service sector attractive to the market in view of the uncompetitive remuneration at civil service institutions that deters professionals from joining the sector. He also shared the UK’s experience on the ethics of the civil service.

He pointed out that civil servants are, as a matter of principle, not involved in any party politics and that their sole responsibility started and ended with operating the state machinery. He cited his own personal experience of serving in three governments with different political ideologies. “Irrespective of political conditions, civil servants should be able and ready to function”.

O’Donell arrived at Addis Ababa on Wednesday on a two-day here.