On September 11, 2019, the World Bank announced that China Energy Engineering Group Hunan Electric Power Design Institute Co. (CEEC-HEPDI), a state-owned Chinese engineering company, had been debarred from participating in World Bank-financed projects for 20 months. According to the World Bank, CEEC-HEPDI knowingly falsified its past experience, qualifications, and litigation history in order to secure a contract for a project “designed to increase the capacity and improve the reliability of the electricity transmission and distribution system in Lusaka, Zambia.
CEEC-HEPDI received a reduced period of debarment as a result of its cooperation with the World Bank investigation, and has committed to developing an integrity compliance program consistent with World Bank compliance guidelines as a condition for release from debarment.