Videocon barred from doing biz with World Bank for 3 yrs

Satyam was barred for a period of eight years from Sept 2008, while Wipro was banned for four years from June 2007.

Accusing Venugopal Dhoot-led Videocon of indulging in fraud and corrupt practices in dealings with it, the World Bank has blacklisted the Indian company for three years, ending January 11, 2013.

Videocon Industries Ltd has been barred from doing any business with the World Bank for violating “procurement guidelines”, for a period of three years, beginning January 11, 2010, a notification on the Bank’s website said.

The World Bank had taken a similar tough line with Satyam Computer months before the IT company’s founder chairman confessed to an accounting fraud.

Videocon was sent a “letter of reprimand subsequent to an administrative process” permitting the company to respond to the allegations, the World Bank said in its latest update of companies blacklisted for doing business due to fraud and corruption charges.

Videocon’s name has been listed among firms and individuals ineligible to be awarded a World Bank-financed contract, as it has violated fraud and corruption provisions of the procurement guidelines.

“The period of ineligibility of Videocon Industries Ltd extends to any firm directly or indirectly controlled by the sanctioned firm,” World Bank said.

It further said the ineligibility might be reduced by up to one year, if after two years of ineligibility, the Bank’s Sanctions Board finds Videocon of having taken “satisfactory” remedial actions.

The Videocon group is a conglomerate with interests in consumer electronics, home appliances, oil & gas, telecom & media, among others.

The list of debarred entities from India include two Kolkata-based firms B R & Sons and Hemant Tibrewal, and three Delhi-based entities — Om Prakash Jindal, Upasana Jindal and S M Scientific Instruments Pvt Ltd. These five entities were debarred by the World Bank in January this year and the sanctions would be in place for three years till January 2013.

Other Indian entities in the list include Nestor Pharmaceuticals, GAP International and Surendra Singh. While Nestor has been banned from July 2007 till July 2010, the two others have been debarred permanently. In January 2009, the Bank disclosed that it had banned three Indian firms — Satyam Computer Services, Wipro Technologies and Megasoft Consultants — from receiving direct contracts from the Bank group under its corporate procurement programme.