The World Bank Group has debarred Louis Berger Group, a major U.S. engineering and development consulting firm, due to findings that the firm engaged in “corrupt practices,” while implementing bank-financed projects in Vietnam.
The debarment means Louis Berger will be ineligible for World Bank-financed contracts for a period of one year, and the firm “must take appropriate remedial measures to address the misconduct for which they have been sanctioned, and adopt and implement an effective integrity compliance program consistent with World Bank guidelines,” according to a bank press release.
Because Louis Berger’s debarment is for a period of only one year, the firm will still be able to bid on contracts with the Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Inter-American Development Bank and African Development Bank. Mutual enforcement agreements between those institutions mandate that debarments over one year apply to bids with all of them.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
