By Edwin Eriye
The African Development Bank ( ADB) has debarred China Zhonghao Limited, employer of two Chinese recently arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for offering a bribe of N100million to one of its officer, for 18 months, Blackboxnigeria gathered.
The company was debarred for fraudulently misrepresenting its year of incorporation, value of its reference contracts and cognate experience of its key personnel while bidding for two tenders under ADB-financed Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project for Oyo and Taraba States in Nigeria.
Debarment is the shutting out or exclusion of a company, an individual, an entity from certain rights, privileges or possessions owing to allegations of fraud, mismanagement or impropriety.
Blackboxnigeria reported earlier that the Sokoto Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, arrested two Chinese: Mr. Meng Wei Kun and Mr. Xu Koi for offering a sum of N50, 000,000( Fifty Million Naira only) as bribe to its Zonal Head, Mr. Abdullahi Lawal.
The bribe was allegedly offered in a desperate bid to compromise ongoing investigations of a construction company, China Zhonghao Nig. Ltd, handling contracts awarded by the Zamfara State Government in the sum of N50, 000,000,000.00(Fifty Billion Naira), between 2012 to 2019.
Blackboxnigeria learnt that the zonal office of the Commission is investigating the construction company, in connection with the execution of contracts for the construction of township roads in Gummi, Bukkuyun, Anka and Nassarawa towns of Zamfara state; also, the construction of one hundred and sixty eight (168) solar- powered boreholes in the 14 local government areas of the state.
Alarmed by the consistency and professionalism of investigation being conducted, the company reached out to Lawal with an offer of N100,000,000( One Hundred Million Naira) as bribe to “bury” the matter.
