By Adedapo Adesanya
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has announced the debarment of Sargittarius Nigeria Limited and its affiliates, including Sargittarius Henan Water Conservancy Engineering Limited, for a period of 18 months.
The Abidjan-based lender said the company was barred from executing its projects for fraudulent practices and will take effect from July 28, 2021.
An investigation conducted by the bank’s Office of Integrity and Anti-Corruption established that Sargittarius Nigeria Limited engaged in fraudulent practices during tenders for the construction of water infrastructure in Ibadan, Nigeria, under the Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project in Nigeria.
The debarment renders Sargittarius 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.
This means that it is only at the expiry of the debarment period that the company will be eligible to resume participation in the bank’s group-financed projects on the condition that it implements an integrity compliance programme consistent with the bank’s guidelines.
The Urban Water Supply and Sanitation Improvement Project is aimed at improving access to safe water supply and sanitation services in the cities of Ibadan and Jalingo, in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The project is co-financed by the African Development Fund, an entity of the AfDB and the Government of Nigeria.
Business Post gathered that Sargittarius Nigeria Limited is a company that specializes in hydro-engineering and construction works with an emphasis on water transmission and distribution, dam and waterworks construction, pipeline construction, civil /structural construction, surface and underground water supply schemes, metering and calibration, erosion flood control and housing.
The firm said it offers “a complete range of engineering design, procurement, construction and project management services for turnkey projects.”
Modupe Gbadeyanka