World Bank Group has debarred United Aviation Services Ltd. (UNASEL), a Nigerian transportation services company, and its owner and president, Air Vice Marshal Alkali Mamu, for 31 months over fraudulent practices linked to a World Bank-financed project.
The World Bank disclosed this in a statement, saying the sanction was imposed in connection with the Enhancing Niger Northeastern Connectivity Project.
The project is designed to improve connectivity and road safety along the Zinder-Agadez Road section and expand access to basic socioeconomic infrastructure for selected communities along the route.
According to the bank, UNASEL and Mamu submitted false experience documents in a prequalification application in an attempt to qualify for a contract under the project.
“This was a fraudulent practice under the World Bank’s sanctions framework,” the bank said.
The 31-month debarment renders UNASEL and Mamu ineligible to participate in projects and operations financed by World Bank Group institutions during the period of the sanction.
The World Bank said the debarments formed part of two settlement agreements under which UNASEL and Mamu admitted culpability for the underlying sanctionable practices.
It said the reduced debarment period reflected the cooperation provided by the company and its owner during the investigation.
As a condition for release from the sanction, the settlement agreements require UNASEL and Mamu to develop and implement integrity compliance measures consistent with relevant principles contained in the World Bank Group Integrity Compliance Guidelines.
Mamu is also required to complete corporate ethics training.
The company and its owner further committed to continue cooperating fully with the World Bank Group’s Integrity Vice Presidency.
The World Bank said the debarments also qualify for cross-debarment by other multilateral development banks under the Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions, signed on April 9, 2010.
The cross-debarment arrangement enables participating multilateral development banks to recognise and enforce certain debarment decisions imposed by another participating institution.
