LIVE UPDATES
The World Bank Group has announced a 30-month debarment for two companies based in Nigeria, Viva Atlantic Limited and Technology House Limited along with their Managing Director and CEO, Norman Bwuruk Didam.
This action is related to fraudulent, collusive, and corrupt activities associated with the National Social Safety Nets Project in Nigeria.
The project was designed to provide targeted financial assistance to impoverished and vulnerable households as part of Nigeria’s expanded national social safety nets initiative.
According to the case details and the overarching principles of the World Bank’s Anticorruption Framework, in relation to a 2018 procurement and subsequent contract, Viva Atlantic Limited, Technology House Limited, and Mr. Didam misrepresented a conflict of interest in their Letter of Bids and obtained confidential tender information from public officials, which constituted fraudulent and collusive actions.
Additionally, Viva Atlantic Limited and Didam misrepresented the company’s experience and submitted falsified letters of authorization from manufacturers, as well as offered and provided valuable items to public officials involved in the project. These actions were deemed fraudulent and corrupt.
The debarment prohibits both companies and Didam from engaging in projects and operations financed by the Bank Group. As part of their settlement agreements, the companies and Didam have accepted responsibility and agreed to fulfill specific integrity compliance conditions to be released from debarment.
Among other requirements, Didam is obligated to complete individual corporate ethics training, while the two companies must improve their internal integrity compliance policies and implement corporate ethics training programs that align with the principles outlined in the Bank Group Integrity Compliance Guidelines.
The companies also commit to ongoing full cooperation with the Bank Group Integrity Vice Presidency. The settlement agreements include reduced debarment periods due to the cooperation of the companies and Didam with the Bank Group’s investigation, their voluntary corrective measures, their voluntary withdrawal from participating in Bank Group tenders, and the passage of time.
The debarments of Didam, Viva Atlantic Limited, and Technology House Limited are eligible for cross-debarment by other multilateral development banks under the Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions, which was signed on April 9, 2010.
