WASHINGTON, December 9, 2020 — The World Bank Group today announced the six-month debarment of Singapore-based Jason Electronics (Pte) Ltd., a wholesale retailer of marine equipment, in connection with a fraudulent practice as defined in the World Bank Group Procurement Guidelines under the Bank-financed Urban Resilience Project in Bangladesh.
The debarment makes Jason Electronics ineligible to participate in projects and operations financed by institutions of the World Bank Group for a period of six months. It is part of a settlement agreement under which the company acknowledges responsibility for the underlying sanctionable practice and agrees to meet specified corporate compliance conditions in order to be released from debarment.
The Urban Resilience Project was designed to strengthen the capacity of government agencies to respond to emergency events and reduce the vulnerability of new building construction to natural disasters in Dhaka and Sylhet. According to the facts of the case, when bidding for a contract under the project, Jason Electronics failed to disclose its agreement to pay a commission and fee to a local agent. This misrepresentation in the bidding documents was not in compliance with the World Bank Group Procurement Guidelines.
The settlement agreement provides for a reduced period of debarment in light of the company’s cooperation and voluntary remedial actions. As a condition for release from sanction under the terms of the settlement agreement, the company commits to strengthening its integrity compliance program in line with the principles set out in the World Bank Group Integrity Compliance Guidelines. The company also commits to continue to fully cooperate with the World Bank Group Integrity Vice Presidency.
