AfDB bans UK company for ‘corruption’

AfDB bans UK company for ‘corruption’ 
by Nicholas Kotch , 08 September 2014, 05:46

THE African Development Bank (AfDB) says it has banned a British company from doing business with it for 30 months because of corruption in a bank-funded contract with Eritrea.

The AfDB said last week that after an investigation it had reached a settlement with the company, Eduteq Limited, and its director, Katrina Grant, after the company, based in Leicestershire, England, admitted “fraudulent practices”. Ms Grant was barred from doing business with the Abidjan-based development bank for a year.

“The African Development Bank has zero tolerance for fraud and corruption. This case demonstrates our commitment to investigate sanctionable practices, irrespective of whether these practices compromise large or small contracts in the context of bank-financed projects,” said Anna Bossman, the head of the bank’s integrity and anticorruption department.

Business Day e-mailed the company on Thursday for comment about the AfDB statement but it had not responded after 72 hours.

The contract, for a total of £4.3m, was awarded in 2012 for the supply and installation of equipment for technical workshops run by Eritrea’s ministry of education.

The AfDB said there was fraud because Eduteq had failed to divulge its links with a consultant who was giving technical assistance to the Eritrean government regarding the tenders.