World Bank: Gov't Has Received Our Evidence
By Pin Sisovann and Douglas Gillison
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
The World Bank announced Sunday that it has provided the Cambodian government with specific information about alleged corruption in three Bank-financed infrastructure projects that should be of "great help" to the government in investigating the scandal.
A World Bank team, including members of its Department of Institutional Integrity, met last week with Cambodian government officials and gave them documents identifying the companies, contracts and alleged irregularities uncovered by the Bank's investigators, the World Bank said in a statement.
"The World Bank believes that the specific information it has now provided will be of great help to the government as it moves ahead with its own investigation," the statement said.
"The World Bank cannot provide any further details because this would jeopardize those who have provided confidential information to the World Bank to carry out these investigations," it added.
The Bank will offer more details to the public in the coming week, according to the statement.
Under pressure from the World Bank, Finance Minister Keat Chhon on May 22 froze the accounts for the projects, which had received $78.81 million in World Bank financing, but then unfroze them on June 3, saying the Bank had not provided evidence of any wrongdoing.
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday urged the Bank to provide sufficient evidence to support its allegations, adding that foreign consultants would also be held accountable by the government for squandering the Bank's money.
Finance Ministry officials could not be contacted Sunday, but National Audit Authority Chairman Ut Chhorn said he had not seen the Bank's information and had not begun the audit of the projects that he announced on May 29.
"My Authority has too many other audits and hasn't had the chance to do this one yet," Ut Chhorn said. "I have no reluctance to work on it."
Both Minister of Rural Development Lu Laysreng and Minister of Public Works Sun Chanthol, whose ministries jointly control the Provincial and Rural Infrastructure Project, which received $21.18 million in World Bank financing, said they had not seen any new information from the Bank.
A World Bank team, including members of its Department of Institutional Integrity, met last week with Cambodian government officials and gave them documents identifying the companies, contracts and alleged irregularities uncovered by the Bank's investigators, the World Bank said in a statement.
"The World Bank believes that the specific information it has now provided will be of great help to the government as it moves ahead with its own investigation," the statement said.
"The World Bank cannot provide any further details because this would jeopardize those who have provided confidential information to the World Bank to carry out these investigations," it added.
The Bank will offer more details to the public in the coming week, according to the statement.
Under pressure from the World Bank, Finance Minister Keat Chhon on May 22 froze the accounts for the projects, which had received $78.81 million in World Bank financing, but then unfroze them on June 3, saying the Bank had not provided evidence of any wrongdoing.
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday urged the Bank to provide sufficient evidence to support its allegations, adding that foreign consultants would also be held accountable by the government for squandering the Bank's money.
Finance Ministry officials could not be contacted Sunday, but National Audit Authority Chairman Ut Chhorn said he had not seen the Bank's information and had not begun the audit of the projects that he announced on May 29.
"My Authority has too many other audits and hasn't had the chance to do this one yet," Ut Chhorn said. "I have no reluctance to work on it."
Both Minister of Rural Development Lu Laysreng and Minister of Public Works Sun Chanthol, whose ministries jointly control the Provincial and Rural Infrastructure Project, which received $21.18 million in World Bank financing, said they had not seen any new information from the Bank.
4 comments:
Hun Sen will never find the person who stole WB money, bcoz he is the head of corroption. They can't see, unless they stand in front of mirror.
Hun sen and his entourage never want Cambodia to prosper as noble society. They are all part of vietnamese scam and bloodsuckers in Khmer society. This is a legacy left behind by Vietnam. They serve Hanoi's interests very well and they are just Hanoi's puppets which mean their heads are vietnamese and their bodies are Khmer, because they have been brainwashed by their vietnamese master in Hanoi... the proof is that in a truly democratic country, anti-corruption law would have taken only a few weeks to be adopted by legislators, but in Cambodia under Hen Sun, after 10 years of talking and promising to international community , when he needs money only, anti- corruption law has become known as shameful lie and broken promise. the law does not exist afer all. corruption is a rampant disease in Khmer society under Hen Sun. He is an expert in the art of lying, because he is a Khmer Rouge.
To: 9:06
I couldn't say it better! Thank.
What we have to do is to ask Cambodians to support SAMRAINSY.
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