World Bank may shield corrupt minister and officials

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Bhubaneswar, Jan.20.( Odisha.in): Though the Orissa Government has asked the World Bank to name of minister and officers who had asked  for bribe, the bank authorities may not provide the names which is very much clear from the following announcement by the bank in the Detailed Implementation and Review Report (DIR).

 As it has been mentioned in the second paragraph that " the DIR is strictly confidential internal World Bank document….."   Its findings are of a highly sensitive and confidential nature and should not be used by the Government of India as the basis of initiating any administrative, criminal, or civil proceeding. "

It further mentioned that , " the Government of India may wish to undertake its own investigation into matters raised by this DIR to determine whether any of the laws of India may have been violated."

" Moreover, the DIR should not be cited or referred to in the course of any Government of India investigation, in its investigation reports, or in any administrative, civil, or criminal proceedings undertaken by the Government of India related to the five projects reviewed in this Report."

In view of such declaration relating to " Use and Limitation " of the report, informed sources claim that the WB will not name the ministers/bureaucrats at any cost. Therefore it is apparent that the letter written to the WB by Orissa Government is nothing but an eye wash.

Reacting about asking WB to disclose the names of the financial favour seeking  minister and the bureaucrats, NCP State unit President Bijoy Mohapatra told Odisha.in " after disclosure by a member of the  Evaluation Team of the DIR in the media , there was no need for writing to the WB.

 This was simply a plea to divert public attention from the demand for initiating CBI inquiry to book the persons responsible for plundering the public money, which the poor peoples of Orissa would have to pay back to the W.B. with interest. "

Talking to Odisha.in a senior scribe said, "while demanding resignation of CM and the corrupt ministers and bureaucrats, there should be demand for  actions against the Bank officials responsible for the corruption debacles.

Those  include, Mr. Praful Patel, who has been running the bank's South Asia operations since 2003; Managing Director Graeme Wheeler, who until recently oversaw Mr. Patel's work; and James Adams, the vice president for S-E Asia who gave a pass to corrupted projects."

 
As the WB is also guilty of   encouraging corruption in developing countries like India who have been their soft targets because of the corrupt ministers and bureaucrats, the Bank may prefer to maintain silence in order to avoid controversy and thereby shielding the corrupt ministers and bureaucrats.

However, the Orissa Government would face embarrassing situation in case the Government of India would sou-moto order for a CBI probe to bring the truth to light.

Odisha.in

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