Over a gruelling five-year investigation, Unicon’s vocal stance against the World Bank’s misconduct in Afghanistan has been met with a disturbing pattern of retaliation by the World Bank and its Integrity Vice Presidency (INT). Despite INT’s relentless efforts, they have failed to produce a single piece of credible evidence to justify sanctions against Unicon in their campaign to discredit the company and silence its exposure of the Bank’s wrongdoing. Lacking any evidence after five years, INT resorted to fabricating and altering evidence, attempting to build a case on a house of cards.
The investigation, purportedly initiated to uncover corrupt and fraudulent activities allegedly committed by Unicon, instead laid bare the unscrupulous and criminal methods employed by INT to falsely incriminate Unicon. One particularly egregious instance involved INT’s manipulation of a letter from the Russian Ministry of Labour. The original letter did not deny Unicon’s operations with the Ministry; however, INT altered the translation, deleting crucial phrases and fabricating content to falsely suggest that the Ministry denied ever collaborating with Unicon. This fabricated letter, the sole piece of evidence presented in matters related to Kazakhstan, demonstrates the extent to which INT is willing to corrupt and manufacture outcomes when no genuine evidence exists.
In a similarly troubling incident, INT fabricated a memo from a discussion with Unicon’s former defence attorney, falsely attributing statements to the attorney to construct a false narrative against Unicon. The attorney, also a former director at INT, provided a sworn statement categorically denying the statements attributed to him, exposing INT’s memo as a complete fabrication. This deliberate falsification, a key evidence in INT’s case against Unicon, reflects a malicious intent to create false records and raises serious doubts about INT’s integrity.
INT’s investigation did not stop at these falsifications. It extended to tampering with other critical pieces of evidence, including interview transcripts and financial records. INT has also engaged in a pattern of making misleading statements in its written submissions, relying on the assumption that readers would not scrutinise the actual evidence. This practice results in conclusions that are starkly contrary to what the evidence supports, undermining the very principles of justice and accountability. Unicon meticulously fact-checked INT’s statements line-by-line and provided compelling evidence demonstrating that each statement was a lie.
Despite these egregious violations of investigative standards and INT’s outright criminal conduct, the World Bank’s Sanctions Board, tasked with oversight, has conspicuously failed to hold INT accountable. Rather than condemning the corruption within the very unit responsible for combating corruption, the Sanctions Board has shown a disturbing wilful blindness to INT’s actions. This blatant oversight not only reflects a systemic failure within the World Bank but also suggests an alarming abuse of power and potential political interference in proceedings.
The implications of this case extend far beyond Unicon. They cast a shadow over the World Bank’s commitment to ethical governance and reveal a dangerous willingness to breach the law whenever it serves the Bank’s interests. Such flagrant abuse of power erodes trust in the World Bank and undermines its credibility as an organisation capable of fulfilling its mandate.
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Details of the World Bank’s fabricated case:
- Alleged attempt by the World Bank to ignore INT’s falsifications
- Detailed proof that INT’s case was based solely on fabricated evidence
- INT’s attempts to downplay its exposed falsifications
- Unicon’s detailed exposure of the fabricated nature of INT’s allegations
- INT’s fabricated allegations and falsehoods against Unicon
Sanctions Board’s Decision resulting in Unicon paying for INT’s holidays:
- Unicon’s formal declaration, detailing the compelled payment for INT’s holidays
- Sanctions Board’s decision allowing INT’s holidays at Unicon’s expense
- Unicon’s objection to INT’s outrageous request
- INT’s request to extend Unicon’s unlawful suspension, citing its desire for summer holidays
Other disclosures:
- Affidavit of former INT director exposing INT’s evidence falsification
- Letter to the Executive Directors of the World Bank
- Letter to the President of the World Bank (September 2024)
- Letter to the President of the World Bank (July 2024)
- Letter to the President of the World Bank (December 2022)
- Exhibits and evidence used in this case
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For further information, contact Rustam Davletkhan
