The World Bank on Thursday issued a statement detailing financial irregularities in 13 more Cambodian contracts it has funded, in addition to the corruption already revealed in 30 contracts, bringing the amount of misused funds to 11.9 million U.S. dollars, local media reported on Friday.

The lender said that the ministries of Agriculture and Planning are involved in 4.3 million dollars worth of corruption in the 13 contracts, reported The Cambodian Press Review. The ministries join four other counterparts, which the World Bank has implicated in 7.6 million dollars worth of misused funds in 30 contracts in its three programs.

The World Bank said that conflict of interest in one contract and corruption in three contracts occurred in the Agriculture Ministry's Productivity Improvement Project. It added that the Planning Ministry's Flood Emergency Rehabilitation project suffered from fraud, collusion and corruption in nine contracts.

According to the statement, improper procurement activities also plagued the Agriculture Ministry's Forest Concession Management Pilot Project in 2005.

The agency has not calculated how much it will require the government to repay for the financial scandal. It said that it would take measures against companies and individuals implicated in its findings for future World Bank-financed projects.

The institution said that it had supplied the government with more than sufficient evidence, which will assist Cambodian authorities a great deal. But it said it could not identify the people who have reported the problems.

"One piece of information which the Bank cannot provide are the names of witnesses, as confidentiality was promised to them as part of the investigation process, per World Bank policies," the statement said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday insisted the World Bank name the sources before the government considered acting against corrupt officials and paying back any money.

"As Samdech Prime Minister said, please bring evidence to the table. All disbursements were approved by both World Bank consultants and Cambodians," The Cambodia Daily quoted Planning Ministry Secretary of Sate Ou Orhat as saying. "I don't know where they got their information from," he said.

Source: Xinhua