AfDB bars Chinese coy for 18 months over bribery
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has imposed an 18 -month restriction on China Zhonhao Limited from handling its projects following the discovery that two employees of the construction firm offered a N100 million bribe to one of its officers.
Besides the bribery scandal, the AfDB further accused the company of fraudulently misrepresenting its year of incorporation, value of its reference contracts and the cognate experience of its key personnel while bidding for two tenders under AfDB-financed urban water supply and sanitation improvement project in Oyo and Taraba states.
A statement signed by Head, Media and Publicity of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Dele Oyewale said reports available to the EFCC showed that ADB’s office of integrity and anti-corruption established that China Zhonghao Limited committed the fraudulent deals.
Due to its fraudulent practices, the company is to forfeit certain rights, privileges or possessions owing to the allegations of fraud, mismanagement and impropriety.
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Aside the 18- month exclusion from the bank-financed projects, China Zhonghao stands debarred by other multilateral development banks like the World Bank group, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Inter-American Development Bank, owing to the agreement for mutual enforcement of debarment decisions among the banks.
EFCC on Friday arraigned the two Chinese working with China Zhonghao Limited, Meng Wei Kun and Xui Kuoi, before the Sokoto state High Court on bribery related offences.
