The World Bank Group has imposed a 30-month debarment on two Nigerian companies, Viva Atlantic Limited and Technology House Limited, as well as their Managing Director and CEO, Norman Didam, due to involvement in fraudulent, collusive, and corrupt activities.
The sanctions arise from unethical actions during the National Social Safety Nets Project (NSSNP) in Nigeria. The project, aimed at providing financial assistance to vulnerable households, was tainted by misconduct during the 2018 procurement and contract process.
A statement released on January 20 outlined the violations: “According to the facts of the case and the World Bank’s Anticorruption Framework, in connection with the 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, constituting fraudulent and collusive practices, respectively.”
The statement continued, “Additionally, Viva Atlantic Limited and Mr. Didam misrepresented the company’s experience, submitted falsified manufacturer’s authorization letters, and provided things of value to project public officials. These actions were fraudulent and corrupt practices.”
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 in the investigation, voluntary corrective actions, and the time that has passed since the violations occurred.
As part of the settlement, Norman Didam is required to undergo ethics training, while the companies must strengthen their compliance policies and implement corporate ethics programs in line 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.
