World Bank Group says it has suspended SoftTech IT Solutions
and Services Ltd. (SoftTech), an information technology solutions company based
in Nigeria, for 50 months over corrupt allegations in the National Social
Safety Nets Project.
The global institution also announced a 60-month debarment
of Isah Salihu Kantigi, the company’s managing director.
World Bank said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
According to the Bretton Wood Institution, the debarments
make SoftTech and Kantigi, a Nigerian national, ineligible to participate in
projects and operations financed by the bank.
“They are the result
of settlement agreements under which the company and Kantigi acknowledged their
responsibility for the underlying sanctionable practices and agree to meet
specified corporate compliance conditions as a condition for release from
debarment,” the statement reads.
“The project is designed to provide access to targeted cash
transfers to poor and vulnerable households under an expanded national social
safety nets system. According to the facts of the case, as an individual
consultant, Mr. Kantigi made “appreciation” payments to project officials as a
reward for his receiving a Bank-funded consultancy services contract.
“Mr. Kantigi also entered into an arrangement with other
individual consultants and facilitated similar payments by them to project
officials. This constitutes a corrupt practise under the World Bank’s
Consultant Guidelines.
“SoftTech, acting
under the direction of Mr. Kantigi, who is also the company’s Managing
Director, served as the conduit through which he and the other individual consultants
made the payments to project officials. Under the arrangement, SoftTech
received into its bank accounts multiple payments from the individual
consultants and then transferred the funds into the personal accounts of the
project officials, effectively serving as a financial intermediary for these
consultants. This constitutes a corrupt practise under the World Bank’s
Anti-Corruption Guidelines.
“The settlement agreements provide for reduced periods of
debarment in light of Mr. Kantigi’s and SoftTech’s cooperation and
acknowledgement of the misconduct. As conditions for release from sanction
under the terms of the settlement agreements, Mr. Kantigi commits to
undertaking corporate ethics training that demonstrate a commitment to personal
integrity and business ethics, while SoftTech commits to implementing a code of
conduct that reflects the relevant principles set out in the World Bank Group
Integrity Compliance Guidelines and a corporate ethics training program.
“In addition, any affiliate that Mr. Kantigi or SoftTech
controls, directly or indirectly, will be required to similarly implement a
Code of Conduct and corporate ethics training program. Mr. Kantigi and the
company also committed to continue to fully cooperate with the World Bank Group
Integrity Vice Presidency.”
The bank said the debarments of Kantigi and his entity
qualify for cross-debarment by other multilateral development banks (MDBs)
under the agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions that was
signed on April 9, 2010.
Last month, World Bank also sanctioned AIM Consultants
Limited (AIM Consultants), a consultancy company based in Nigeria, and its
managing director, Amin Moussalli in connection with corrupt practices as part
of the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project.
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