Open Letter to Ms. Suzanne Folsom, Director, Department of Institutional Integrity

29^th August 2007

Ms. Suzanne Folsom, Director

Department of Institutional Integrity (INT)

The World Bank

1818 H Street NW, MC8-754

Washington, DC 20433

Re: The case of Mr. Bruce Tasker

Dear Ms. Folsom,

It is the sixth month since the Government Accountability Project (GAP) submitted a Demand Letter to your office on my behalf, requesting your prompt response to the matter of my claim and looking forward to hearing from you within ten business days. I am informed by GAP that its senior staffs have contacted your office on a number of occasions, and although they have been verbally informed that the INT apparently intends to carry out a full investigation into the matter, no formal information has been received about when and how that should happen. So GAP recently sent a second letter asking for the latest status with the claim.

It is three months since Her Majesty’s Ambassador of the British Embassy in Armenia sent a letter to you personally, explaining that, as the INT has been aware of this matter since June 2004, and as the details are comprehensively documented, he hoped that your enquiries could be concluded expeditiously in order to bring the matter to a timely and appropriate conclusion. More than two months later, the Ambassador had not received a reply to his letter. So he wrote to the World Bank UK representation in Washington, and asked them to look into the matter. The Ambassador is waiting for a response.

You are aware that details of my claim have been forwarded to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK, and the matter is being monitored by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office. In that respect, a senior official of the British Embassy in Washington has contacted the INT on more than one occasion to enquire about how your department is proceeding with the claim. But information has not been forthcoming.

The UK is a major contributor to the World Bank, and the British Government is interested to know that its funds are being used effectively.

The INT continually gives assurances that a fair, prompt and thorough review of the facts and circumstances regarding reports of misconduct will be carried out. But not only has the INT made no formal commitment to carry out an investigation, it has not responded to any of the efforts to seek information about the matter.

This open letter therefore repeats what has been asked by a number of high-ranking Governmental and Non-Governmental officials, that you please advise when and how the Department of Institutional Integrity will be carrying out a full investigation, in response to GAP’s 29^th March Demand Letter, submitted to your office on my behalf.

Yours Sincerely,

Bruce Tasker

Senior Specialist and Analyst

Parliamentary Commission

Republic of Armenia

Full details about the claim can be seen on
'Blowing the World Bank Whistle'