The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has barred a Nigerian firm, Maxicare Company (Nigeria) Limited, from conducting business with it for the next three years.
The bank said on its website on Wednesday that the debarment, for engaging in “collusive and fraudulent practices” during a business tender, took effect from Feb. 23. It stated that the infringement was committed under the Transport Facilitation Programme for the Bamenda-Mamfe-Abakaliki-Enugu Road Corridor connecting Cameroon and Nigeria.
According to the statement from the AfDB Group, “An investigation conducted by the Bank’s Office of Integrity and Anti-Corruption established that Maxicare Company (Nigeria) Limited engaged in collusive and fraudulent practices during a tender for the construction of weigh stations and supply of equipment under the Transport Facilitation Program for the Bamenda-Mamfe-Abakaliki-Enugu Road Corridor connecting Cameroon and Nigeria.
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The debarment renders Maxicare Company (Nigeria) Limited and its affiliates ineligible to participate in Bank Group-financed projects during the debarment period. Additionally, the debarment qualifies for cross-debarment by other multilateral development banks under the Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions, including the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank Group.”
The bank also said that at the expiry of the debarment period, Maxicare Company (Nigeria) Limited would only be eligible to participate in Bank Group-financed projects on the condition that it implemented an integrity compliance program consistent with the bank’s guidelines.
Maxicare Company (Nigeria) Ltd. is a limited liability company registered with the Federal Government of Nigeria. According to the bank, the prohibition renders the company and its affiliates ineligible to participate in AfDB Group-financed projects during the three-year period. It also said the debarment would fetch a cross-debarment for Maxicare resulting in its debarment by other multilateral development banks under the Agreement for Mutual Enforcement of Debarment Decisions.
