The World Bank Group said Tuesday it debarred two wholly-owned subsidiaries of Oxford University Press for three years for misconduct in East Africa.
‘The two companies made improper payments to government officials for two contracts to supply text books in relation to two World Bank-financed projects,’ the World Bank said.
The subsidiaries are Oxford University Press East Africa Limited and Oxford University Press Tanzania Limited.
In addition to the debarment, Oxford University Press agreed to make a payment of US$500,000 to the World Bank as part of the settlement.
A year ago, the World Bank debarred Macmillan Publishers Limited for three years after the company acknowledged attempts to bribe World Bank employees to win book sales in Africa. Macmillan also paid £11 million in a negotiated civil settlement with the U.K. Serious Fraud Office.
The World Bank said the investigation of Oxford University Press was also coordinated with the SFO.
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