BY VICTORIA ONU, ABUJA
SiX Lebanese firms and their directors, along with some Nigerian contracting firms, have been blacklisted by the World Bank after the individuals and companies were indicted for fraud and corruption in the execution of contracts in the 2020 fiscal period.
Details of the indictment are contained in the list of debarred individuals and companies obtained by THE POINT from the World Bank.
The affected companies are Abou Ghazaleh Contracting Nigeria Limited; A.G. Vision Mining Limited; Infratech Construction Nigeria Limited; Top Field Construction Nigeria Limited; Verdun Construction Nigeria Limited; Lugio Global Construction Services Limited and A.G. Vision Construction Nigeria Limited.
The affected individuals who are also the controlled affiliates of the indicted companies include Elie Abou Ghazaleh, Managing Director; and Fadi Abou Ghazaleh, Executive Director of the Lebanese company.
With the indictment, the affected individuals and companies will not be able to participate in the award of any World Bank-financed contracts or consultancy services by any of the affiliated multilateral development banks between December 18, 2020 and March 17, 2025.
The individuals and companies were blacklisted after the World Bank Group’s Sanctions Board indicted them of various fraudulent and collusive practices considered infractions to established regulations and breaches of its contract and consultancy procedures.
The companies are subsidiaries of Abou Ghazaleh Group incorporated in 2002 to handle construction and mining services in various parts of the country.
One of the Companies, A.G. Vision Mining, which was incorporated in 2007, is a contracting firm that has been involved in the execution of many building constructions, water dams, water purification stations, irrigation and soil erosion projects in various parts of Nigeria.
Some of the states where the firm has executed projects are Kogi, Adamawa, Cross River, Benue, Anambra, Abia, Imo, and Katsina.
A.G. Vision Construction Nigeria Limited, which was sanctioned for violating the January 2011 Paragraphs 1.16(a)(ii)(iii) of the Guidelines: (worldbank.org), was declared ineligible to handle any World Bank contract for the period between December 18, 2020 and March 17, 2025.
Another of the affected companies – Infratech Construction Nigeria Limited – has been involved in the mining of coal and lignite.
The directors were blacklisted and barred from further performance of any World Bank-funded contracts in Nigeria for violating the January 2011 Procurement Guidelines, Para. 1.16(a)(iii).
One of the individuals, a Nigerian, indicted for violating the Procurement Guidelines, 1.16(a)(ii), was the Managing Director of Unique Concept Enterprises, Okafor Glory, of No. 40 Nelson Williams Street, Warri, Delta State. The MD was blacklisted for the period between December 3, 2020 and December 2, 2024.
The World Bank said the sanctions were for the “fraudulent and collusive practices” in the execution of the Nigerian Erosion and Watershed Management Project in line with the Sanctions Board Decision No.130 of December 18, 2020.
The World Bank in the document said those accused of committing fraud and corruption violated Paragraph 1.16a (ii) and (iii) of the Guidelines for the procurement of goods, works, and non-consulting services under the World Bank credit and grants agencies, namely: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development loans and International Development Agency by borrowers.
Under the bank’s policy, borrowers (including beneficiaries of bank loans), bidders, suppliers, contractors and their agents, subcontractors, sub-consultants, service providers or suppliers, and other personnel are required to observe the highest standard of ethics during the procurement and execution of Bank-financed contracts.
The bank defines corrupt practice as the act of “offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting, directly or indirectly, of anything of value to influence improperly the actions of another party,” while fraudulent practice is “any act or omission, including a misrepresentation, that knowingly or recklessly misleads, or attempts to mislead, a party to obtain a financial or other benefit or to avoid an obligation.”
“Collusive practice”, the World Bank said, is an arrangement between two or more parties designed to achieve an improper purpose, including to influence improperly the actions of another party.
Also, there is the charge of fraud and corruption involving violations, as spelt out in Section 1.23 and Consultant Guidelines, 1.22(a)(i) of the guidelines for the selection and employment of consultants under IBRD loans and IDA credits and grants by World Bank borrowers.
Under the policy, the bank requires borrowers (including beneficiaries of its loans), consultants, and their agents, sub-contractors, sub-consultants, service providers or suppliers, and other personnel to observe the highest standard of ethics during the selection and execution of Bank-financed contracts.
