Letter to World Bank President Re: Corruption at Lesotho Highlands water project - August 21, 2003

James Wolfensohn
President
World Bank
1818H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433
USA

August 21, 2003

Dear Mr. Wolfensohn,

The fight against corruption is a central part of the World Bank mission to reduce poverty and improve the quality of people's lives.

The World Bank response to the loss of Acres International's appeal in the Lesotho Highlands Water Project of Friday, August 15th, 2003, will be indicative of how the World Bank approaches the fight against corruption.

We urge you to debar Acres International from future Bank-financed contracts. We also ask that all existing World Bank contracts with Acres be subject to review to determine whether Acres bid was carried out in a legal manner.

EDC Compliance Officer (1) Re: Cernavoda - August 1, 2003

August 1, 2003

Mr. Fraser Reilly-King
Halifax Initiative
153 Chapel Street, Suite 104
Ottawa, ON  K1N 1H5

Dear Mr. Reilly-King

This is to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated July 28, 2003, and enclosed documentation. I acknowledge that your letter was also copied to Darlene Pearson, Director, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, Auditor General of Canada.

You do not note in  your letter whether you attempted to resolve your concerns with Export Development Canada (EDC) by any other means. You have referred the matter to ma as Compliance Officer for EDC.

Pursuant to the resolution guidelines, upon receipt of such a letter, I must conduct an initial appraisal of your concerns to establish whether they fall within the mandate of EDC’s Compliance Program.

Complaint to EDC Compliance Officer - July 28, 2003

July 28, 2003

Ms. Alison Lawford
Compliance Officer
Export Development Canada
151 O’Connor Street,
Ottawa ON K1A 1K3

Dear Ms. Lawford:

I am writing you on behalf of the NGO Working Group on EDC (WG), a working group of the Halifax Initiative, to file a complaint with regard to the Cernavoda 2 nuclear reactor in Romania. Last January, Export Development Canada (EDC) confirmed that it would provide a $328 million loan guarantee to the Romanian government to help complete the construction of the reactor.

In accordance with the guidelines for filing complaints, I have divided this letter into three sections that outline the WG’s opinion of the problem, our opinion on the desired result of an investigation, and what has been done to solve the problem.

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