Failure Cases
Learn from real-world integrity failures to understand how risks developed, what went wrong and how similar risks can be avoided.
Browse failure cases
Odebrecht / Braskem global infrastructure bribery
Bribery was concealed through shell companies, offshore accounts, coded communications, and intermediaries, allowing illicit payments to influence contract awards and related government decisions.
View case →Lesotho Highlands Water Project corruption
Bribes were paid through consultants and engineering firms to influence contract decisions and key project approvals in a major bank-financed water project, exposing weak integrity controls over advisers and approval…
View case →Padma Bridge / SNC-Lavalin corruption case
A high-level bribery scheme involving public officials, company executives, and private intermediaries compromised approval-stage integrity and undermined lender confidence before implementation. The resulting withdrawal of external finance forced a change…
View case →Alstom Indonesia power project bribery
Consultancy contracts were used as vehicles to channel bribes to Indonesian officials and senior decision-makers at the state-owned utility PLN to secure power-project contracts.
View case →Kiambu County road tender corruption case
A county road contract was distorted by conflicts of interest, improper award decisions, and falsified bidder qualifications, enabling contract to be diverted to politically connected beneficiaries.
View case →Mozambique hidden-debt / EMATUM financing fraud
Undisclosed debt obligations, kickbacks, and related corruption risks were embedded in state-backed project financing, while investors were misled about the use of proceeds, the transaction structure, and associated government debt…
View case →Belo Monte dam corruption and environmental licensing distortion
Corruption and undue influence distorted project justification, environmental licensing, and the treatment of environmental and community impacts, allowing the dam to advance despite serious environmental and indigenous-community risks.
View case →Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge false concrete test records
Laboratory staff and consultants falsified concrete compression test records and manipulated testing procedures, concealing whether bridge works complied with required quality and safety standards.
View case →SEPTA maintenance P-card bribery and false billing scheme
Maintenance managers and vendors colluded to submit false claims for goods and services that were never supplied, using payment mechanisms and kickback arrangements to divert operation and maintenance funds.
View case →National Grid facilities maintenance kickback scheme
Facilities managers used bribery and kickback arrangements to steer maintenance contracts to a preferred contractor, weaken competitive safeguards, and protect the contractor from accountability for poor performance.
View case →Enron / Dabhol Power Project
A major power project was advanced through one-to-one negotiations with a preferred sponsor, limited transparency, lack of competitive bidding, inflated capital-cost concerns, and unusual contractual concessions, distorting project selection and…
View case →Robin Blencoe / Vancouver Island development approval conflict case
An early-stage project approval process raised conflict-of-interest concerns because a minister involved in project decisions had recent campaign support and contribution links to individuals associated with the project.
View case →Bujagali Hydropower appraisal and financing controversy
Appraisal and mitigation arrangements for a lender funded hydropower project were contested through accountability complaints, which alleged insufficient assessment of economic feasibility, affordability, environmental and social impacts, resettlement, compensation, and…
View case →South Korea LH land speculation scandal (Gwangmyeong-Siheung New Town)
Employees and related parties of a public housing developer were suspected of using non-public project information to acquire land in areas planned for development before public announcement, including through third-party…
View case →Roche Lietuva tender specifications challenge
Tender technical specifications were narrowly drafted in ways that appeared to favor particular manufacturers’ products, limiting equivalent solutions and restricting competition.
View case →Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) building project design development and scope growth
Contracts were awarded before the design was sufficiently developed, while weak change control and the addition of premium features contributed to substantial scope growth, delays, and cost escalation.
View case →World Bank INT Case 8: concealed conflict of interest between design consultant and contractor
A firm involved in preparing design or advisory materials concealed its affiliation with a contractor presented as independent while bidding on the same project, undermining segregation of duties, independent review,…
View case →Telaustria transparency in tender advertising case
A contracting authority inadequately publicised the contract opportunity and used opaque arrangements for accessing tender documents, restricting competition and increasing discretion in the award process.
View case →Pacific Northwest Raptors undisclosed evaluation criterion case
Evaluators applied an undisclosed criterion that disadvantaged bidders using a particular technical approach, undermining procedural fairness and allowing the assessment to depart from the published tender rules.
View case →Charbonneau Commission / Quebec construction corruption and organized-crime infiltration
Collusive networks, political-financing links, and organized-crime infiltration distorted public construction tendering by enabling bid rigging, intimidation, territorial control, and manipulation of subcontracting arrangements.
View case →Wise Services / Savannah River MOX false invoicing case
Alleged false invoices for undelivered construction materials, combined with kickback payments and weak certification controls, enabled overbilling during project execution.
View case →The Bridge project subcontractor payroll falsification and wage-theft case
Opaque labour subcontracting and weak payroll controls enabled subcontractors to underpay workers, omit them from certified payroll records, and falsify payroll documentation during project execution.
View case →Ottawa LRT Public Inquiry / misleading progress and testing reports
Inaccurate progress reporting, overstated completion claims, and softened testing disclosures obscured delays, readiness failures, and defects in a major rail project.
View case →Kenya Power reconnection bribery / EACC systems-review case
Weak controls over customer-facing utility processes enabled an alleged bribe demand for electricity reconnection, exposing broader risks of petty corruption, unequal service access, and revenue leakage.
View case →Liberia road-maintenance prioritization influenced by politics (MCC evaluation)
Road maintenance planning was distorted when budgets and work plans were driven by political priorities rather than asset condition, risk, and maintenance need. Inconsistent use of road management tools, delayed…
View case →Former Comptroller General of Ecuador bribery and money-laundering scheme
Audit, control, and sanctioning functions were compromised when Ecuador’s Comptroller General accepted bribes to remove fines and prevent sanctions on major infrastructure projects.
View case →DOT OIG contract closeout and records-maintenance failures
Incomplete contract and closeout records delayed project closeout and weakened control over final payments, retained funds, and completion verification.
View case →UK construction blacklisting / The Consulting Association scandal
A covert blacklist enabled construction firms to exclude workers who raised health and safety concerns, trade union issues, or other legitimate workplace grievances, suppressing complaint reporting and weakening labour-rights oversight…
View case →Edinburgh Tram Inquiry / strategic understatement of cost and risk at business-case stage
Early cost and risk estimates were understated through unjustified reductions in optimism-bias and risk allowances, enabling the tram project to proceed on an unrealistic budget and later contributing to cost…
View case →Energy East hearing panel conflict / recusal over apprehension of bias
Private meetings involving hearing panel members and senior regulator officials raised an apprehension of bias, resulting in recusal and adjournment before the project review could continue.
View case →Independent Power Tanzania (IPTL) / unsolicited power deal outside least-cost plan
An unsolicited power project was advanced through direct negotiation outside the plan for meeting power demand at the lowest overall cost and without transparent competition, locking in a costly delivery…
View case →Site C dam (BC Hydro) / secrecy over design changes, geotechnical assumptions, and technical risk reporting
During Site C implementation, major cost, schedule, geotechnical, procurement, and scope risks emerged. Weak governance, independent oversight, risk reporting, and cost and schedule analysis limited timely scrutiny of design and…
View case →eVigilo / evaluator links to successful bidder in procurement challenge
Undisclosed professional links between evaluation experts and the successful bidder created a conflict-of-interest risk. The contracting authority was required to examine and address the risk without waiting for proof of…
View case →Boston Big Dig / McCourt-Obayashi false change-order scheme
Misclassification of apprentice-level workers as journeymen inflated time-and-materials change-order claims after award, enabling overpayment through distorted labour-rate billing and weak certification controls.
View case →Fort Berthold construction bribery scheme / payments and fraudulent invoices
Bribery and kickback arrangements enabled a public official to steer construction awards, fabricate bids, influence other officials, and facilitate fraudulent invoice payments during project execution.
View case →Le Méridien hotel project / Beck Group shell-company false-invoicing and laundering scheme
Project funds were diverted during execution through shell companies, false invoices, insider-approved payments, and layered transfers that concealed the recipients and movement of fraud proceeds.
View case →OECD/OLAF mafia-infiltrated EU-funded motorway / ghost road works and unfinished delivery
EU-funded motorway works were compromised during implementation through beneficiary-contractor collusion, suspected organised-crime involvement, fictitious road works, manipulated documentation, bribery, and use of fictitious companies, allowing funds to be diverted while…
View case →Grenfell Tower fire / compliance and safety system failure
Weak compliance, product-safety, and quality-assurance controls allowed unsafe materials, unsupported product claims, and fire-safety risks to pass through design, specification, testing, certification, and refurbishment decisions.
View case →Sextortion in WASH service access in Bangladesh
Discretionary control over WASH access, reconnection, tariffs, and customer service created sextortion risks, especially where users faced water insecurity, poverty, unequal access, and weak reporting channels.
View case →Carillion collapse / corporate governance and audit failure
Weak governance, audit, accounting, and risk-monitoring controls obscured financial distress, contract exposure, supplier risk, and performance problems until Carillion collapsed.
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