ADB Anticorruption Policy

The ADB Anticorruption Policy is the Asian Development Bank's governing framework for detecting, investigating, and sanctioning corrupt, fraudulent, coercive, collusive, and obstructive practices in ADB-financed operations, and it gives ADB's Office of Anticorruption and Integrity the authority to act on suspected violations.

What is the ADB Anticorruption Policy?

Adopted in 1998 and updated periodically since, ADB's Anticorruption Policy defines the prohibited practices that apply to all parties involved in ADB-financed projects: borrowers, executing agencies, consultants, contractors, suppliers, and ADB staff. The five categories of prohibited practice mirror those used across the major multilateral banks: corrupt practice (offering or accepting a bribe), fraudulent practice (misrepresenting facts to influence procurement or project implementation), coercive practice (threatening harm to influence decisions), collusive practice (arrangement among bidders to fix prices or suppress competition), and obstructive practice (impeding ADB's investigation of alleged violations).

The policy links directly to the core-procurement-principles of integrity and fairness: a procurement process contaminated by any of these practices violates the foundational standards of ADB's adb-procurement-policy. ADB enforces the policy through the oai, which investigates complaints and makes sanctioning recommendations. Firms found to have violated the policy face debarment, and because ADB is party to the cross-debarment agreement, a debarment by ADB is automatically recognised by the World Bank, AfDB, EBRD, and IDB.

Why the ADB Anticorruption Policy matters for bidders

For suppliers, the policy's most immediate practical implication is the debarment risk. A corruption or fraud finding does not just exclude a firm from ADB projects; it triggers automatic debarment across all five cross-debarring banks simultaneously, cutting off access to a large share of the global development-finance procurement market. The policy also covers agents and intermediaries: if a firm uses a local representative who pays bribes on its behalf, the firm bears responsibility. Suppliers should have clear internal contracting controls for any third parties engaged to support ADB bids, and they should not confuse the policy with a formality; ADB's investigation caseload has grown consistently since OAI was established.

FAQ

What is "obstructive practice" under the ADB Anticorruption Policy?

Obstructive practice means deliberately destroying evidence, intimidating witnesses, or otherwise interfering with ADB's investigation of an alleged violation. It is treated as a standalone sanctionable offence even if the underlying allegation is unproven.

Who can report a suspected violation to ADB?

Anyone, including project-affected people, suppliers, staff of the executing agency, and ADB staff, can submit a complaint to the oai through ADB's online intake form, including anonymously.

Does the policy apply to ADB's own institutional procurement?

Yes. The Anticorruption Policy applies to ADB's corporate procurement of its own goods and services, not only to externally financed project procurement.