On August 19, 2020, the World Bank Group announced the eighteen-month debarment of CASS Construtores S.A.S. (CASS), a civil works construction company located in Colombia. According to the World Bank, CASS knowingly misrepresented the roles and composition of a consortium of three companies which successfully bid on a World Bank-financed project designed to help Colombia’s government improve water quality and reduce flood risks for the Bogotá River. During its debarment period, CASS is ineligible to participate in World Bank projects, and is subject to cross-debarment by other multilateral development banks.
CASS received a reduced period of debarment due to its cooperation and remediation, and agreed, as a condition for its release from debarment, to continue cooperating with the World Bank and to develop an integrity compliance program consistent with World Bank Integrity Compliance Guidelines.