Wednesday, January 22, 2025 - The World Bank Group has imposed a 30-month debarment on two Nigerian firms, Viva Atlantic Limited and Technology House Limited, along with their Managing Director and CEO, Norman Didam, for engaging in fraudulent, collusive, and corrupt practices.
The sanctions stem from unethical activities during the National Social
Safety Nets Project (NSSNP) in Nigeria. The project, aimed at providing
financial assistance to vulnerable households, was compromised during the 2018
procurement and contract process.
A statement released on Monday, January 20, detailed the infractions:
“According to the facts of the case and the general principles of the World
Bank’s Anticorruption Framework, in connection with a 2018 procurement and
subsequent contract, Viva Atlantic Limited, Technology House Limited, and Mr.
Didam misrepresented a conflict of interest in the companies’ Letter of Bids
and received confidential tender information from public officials, which
constituted fraudulent and collusive practices, respectively.
“Further, Viva Atlantic Limited and Mr. Didam misrepresented Viva
Atlantic Limited’s experience and submitted falsified manufacturer’s
authorization letters, as well as offered and provided things of value to
project public officials. These actions were fraudulent and corrupt practices,
respectively.”
The debarment prevents the firms and their CEO from participating in
World Bank-financed projects for the duration of the penalty. Reduced debarment
periods were granted due to their cooperation during the investigation,
voluntary corrective measures, and time elapsed since the violations.
The settlement agreement requires Norman Didam to undergo ethics
training, while the companies must strengthen their compliance policies and
adopt corporate ethics programs aligned with the World Bank’s Integrity
Compliance Guidelines.
The debarments are also subject to cross-debarment by other multilateral development banks under the 2010 Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions.
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