Keat Chhon (Right) (Photo RFA)Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Finance Ministry: $1.7 Million To Be Repaid
By Phann Ana and Erik Wasson
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
The Finance Ministry announced through Khmer-language newspapers on Tuesday that by its calculation the ministry must repay about $1.7 million to the World Bank following the uncovering of corruption and the Bank's cancellation of contracts in three infrastructure projects worth $68.4 million.
The ministry also reiterated in its advertisements an earlier accusation that the World Bank had failed to provide complete evidence to back up its allegations of graft in a total of seven major projects at four ministries.
Finance Minister Keat Chhon said on June 8 that the government would repay $7.6 million to the Bank following its discovery of fraud and corruption in the three projects.
"The amount of money accounted at May 31, 2006, which the World Bank requires repaid before an 11 year to 40 year grace period is $1,726,328," the ministry wrote in the newspaper ad on Tuesday.
"To this day, besides an indication of trouble spots, the World Bank has not provided the reasons and evidence of what is irregular," the ministry added.
The Finance Ministry also said the Ministry of National Assembly-Senate Relations and Inspection has been charged by Prime Minister Hun Sen with finding out if there were irregularities or not.
"If there really were [irregularities], who would be responsible?" the newspaper statement asks.
"The implementation of these projects was made with the thorough inspection of officials from the World Bank, consulting companies and also Royal Government officials," it adds.
Keat Chhon declined on Tuesday to elatorate on the handling of the World Bank scandal.
"This job needs to be done very carefully to solve the problem by turning a crisis into a good opportunity," he said following a World Bank-sponsored conference about growing inequality and division between Cambodia's elites and the poor.
World Bank spokeswoman Kimberly Versak wrote in an e-mail that the $7.6 million was the total value of the 30 misprocured contracts in the three projects.
That sum had not been fully disbursed at the time the World Bank funds were frozen and the World Bank is working to establish how much was paid to the fraudulent contracts, Versak said.
"We are in the process of establishing the exact dollar amount that needs to be repaid," she said.
The ministry also reiterated in its advertisements an earlier accusation that the World Bank had failed to provide complete evidence to back up its allegations of graft in a total of seven major projects at four ministries.
Finance Minister Keat Chhon said on June 8 that the government would repay $7.6 million to the Bank following its discovery of fraud and corruption in the three projects.
"The amount of money accounted at May 31, 2006, which the World Bank requires repaid before an 11 year to 40 year grace period is $1,726,328," the ministry wrote in the newspaper ad on Tuesday.
"To this day, besides an indication of trouble spots, the World Bank has not provided the reasons and evidence of what is irregular," the ministry added.
The Finance Ministry also said the Ministry of National Assembly-Senate Relations and Inspection has been charged by Prime Minister Hun Sen with finding out if there were irregularities or not.
"If there really were [irregularities], who would be responsible?" the newspaper statement asks.
"The implementation of these projects was made with the thorough inspection of officials from the World Bank, consulting companies and also Royal Government officials," it adds.
Keat Chhon declined on Tuesday to elatorate on the handling of the World Bank scandal.
"This job needs to be done very carefully to solve the problem by turning a crisis into a good opportunity," he said following a World Bank-sponsored conference about growing inequality and division between Cambodia's elites and the poor.
World Bank spokeswoman Kimberly Versak wrote in an e-mail that the $7.6 million was the total value of the 30 misprocured contracts in the three projects.
That sum had not been fully disbursed at the time the World Bank funds were frozen and the World Bank is working to establish how much was paid to the fraudulent contracts, Versak said.
"We are in the process of establishing the exact dollar amount that needs to be repaid," she said.
8 comments:
where did he get the money...maybe from his box that he stold...i guess .eeyore
Yes i am wondering where Keat Chhun get the money or he will steal more in order to pay back WB.
Who is going to be responsible? I think the dog will be...
Hun Sen is very scared to investigate all corrupted officials because all the monies lost have gone into Hun Sen pocket the most. He shared every dollars earned by corrupted officials. Therefore, he must keep himself quiet and ordered Keat Chhon to pay out from Government budget. Keat Chhon is Hun sen'uncle. So he cannot resist his nephew order.
Keat Chhon is not Hun Sen 's uncle you fool!
And Keat Chhon is far more powefull than Hun Sen! also Hor Nam Hong, they are communist cards!
Ket Chhon, es-tu heureux de savoir que meme pas Un ou Une etudiant(e) de l'universite de "Prey Kong" avait survecu ton atrocite, y compris ton neveu "Ah Khlaing"???
Keat Chhon, are you happy to know that not even one single "Prey Kong" University student had survived your atrocity including your nephew named "Ah Khlaing"???
I knew very well about Keat Chhon. His house was opposite to mine. His wife was a Vietnamese and was a teacher at Indradevy High School. He has related to Hun sen(blood). Keat Chhon'parents were all of Fokien origine and lived in Kratie. He was spared from death (during Pol Pot)by Ieng sary because of his wife was a vietnamese like Hor Nam Hong. That is why I have said that Khmer rouge killing was systematic killing by Ieng Sary ( Vietnamese) to wipe out Cambodian race. Only stupid Sihanouk that knew nothing about this systematic killing.
Yes, Kiet Chhon's wife is Mee YUON KATOP.
AKnijaKhmer
P.s. Mr. Kenneth so will have to forgive me for I am using that term "YUON KATOP" as you publicly advised against it. As for Dr. Trudy Jacobsen, the Cash Cow, please understand that the word YUON alone is not pejorative.
Note: CASH COW - The expression is a metaphor for a dairy cow, which after being acquired can be milked on an ongoing basis with little expense.
next time before you pay..you should call hun sen first..got it!
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