2006年VOA标准英语-Anti-Corruption Group Blasts World Bank's

By Cathy Majtenyi
Nairobi
26 January 2006

The anti-corruption¹ group, Transparency International, has blasted the World Bank for loaning Kenya $25 million to fight corruption, following allegations implicating² four senior ministers, including the vice³ president, in financial scandals.

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The World Bank credit is to be used to strengthen checks and balances in budgeting procedures, financial management, and auditing⁴ in several key ministries⁵ of the Kenyan government.

The lead economist⁶ at the World Bank's Kenya office, Fred Kilby, explains.

"The thinking behind the credit is that there are many Kenyans in government, in the civil service, who would like to see that aspect of Kenya's anti-corruption plan strengthened," he said.  "We feel there is a strong commitment to reducing, [and] fighting corruption through the types of arrangements we are supporting under the credit."

But the executive director of Transparency International's Kenyan office, Mwalimu Mati, says the World Bank's timing⁷ is "insensitive and ironic," given the corruption allegations that have recently surfaced.

Kenyan media this week have been reporting alleged⁸ corruption cases sent earlier to President Mwai Kibaki from John Githongo, who was permanent secretary in charge of governance and ethics⁹ for about two years.  Githongo resigned last year and now lives in London.

Among the cases is the so-called Anglo Leasing affair, which involved the government awarding lucrative¹⁰ contracts to fictitious¹¹ companies to print high-tech¹² passports and build police forensic¹³ laboratories.
 

Kiraitu Murungi
(file photo)   
  
The scheme, which was prevented, could have cost the Kenyan economy around $200 million.  Vice President Moody¹⁴ Awori, Finance Minister David Mwiraria, Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi, and former Transport Minister Chris Murungaru are among those alleged to be involved in the deal.

The World Bank's Kilby says that the scandal has eroded¹⁵ Kenyans' confidence in their government.  But he says that overall the government has made a significant effort to build up anti-corruption institutions and systems.

Transparency International's Mati says that the World Bank is sending out the wrong signals by giving the Kenyan government a loan at this time.

Davinder Lamba of Mazingira Institute, left, and Harun Ndubi of Kituo Cha Sheria protest the resignation of President Mwai Kibaki's top anti-corruption adviser¹⁶ John Githongo  
  
"If what we are reading in Githongo's dossier is true, then yes, it [the loan] would be an endorsement¹⁷ of a government that is under serious suspicion of having tolerated or condoned¹⁸ grand corruption within its ranks," he said.  "And worse, still, it does not take into account Githongo's story.  Githongo is the first statehouse insider who has ever actually defected towards the public and told the public something they have never heard before, that there is corruption in the Kibaki government."

Many Kenyans say they are disillusioned¹⁹ with the current government, which was elected at the end of 2002 on a strong anti-corruption platform.

1 corruption   

n.腐败，堕落，贪污

参考例句：

• The people asked the government to hit out against corruption and theft.人民要求政府严惩贪污盗窃。
• The old man reviled against corruption.那老人痛斥了贪污舞弊。

2 implicating   

vt.牵涉，涉及（implicate的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• He was in the public dock, confessing everything, implicating everybody. 他站在被告席上，什么都招认，什么人都咬。 来自英汉文学
• No one would have had me get out of the scrape by implicating an old friend. 无论什么人都不能叫我为了自己摆脱困难便把一个老朋友牵累到这案子里去。 来自辞典例句

3 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

4 auditing   

n.审计，查账，决算

参考例句：

• Auditing standards are the rules governing how an audit is performed.收支检查标准是规则统治一个稽核如何被运行。
• The auditing services market is dominated by a few large accounting firms.审计服务市场被几家大型会计公司独占了。

5 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

6 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

7 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

8 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为

9 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

10 lucrative   

adj.赚钱的，可获利的

参考例句：

• He decided to turn his hobby into a lucrative sideline.他决定把自己的爱好变成赚钱的副业。
• It was not a lucrative profession.那是一个没有多少油水的职业。

11 fictitious   

adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的

参考例句：

• She invented a fictitious boyfriend to put him off.她虚构出一个男朋友来拒绝他。
• The story my mother told me when I was young is fictitious.小时候妈妈对我讲的那个故事是虚构的。

12 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

13 forensic   

adj.法庭的，雄辩的

参考例句：

• The report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence.该报告包括他对法庭证据的诠释。
• The judge concluded the proceeding on 10:30 Am after one hour of forensic debate.经过近一个小时的法庭辩论后，法官于10时30分宣布休庭。

14 moody   

adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的

参考例句：

• He relapsed into a moody silence.他又重新陷于忧郁的沉默中。
• I'd never marry that girl.She's so moody.我决不会和那女孩结婚的。她太易怒了。

15 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。

16 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

17 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

18 condoned   

v.容忍，宽恕，原谅( condone的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Terrorism can never be condoned. 决不能容忍恐怖主义。
• They condoned his sins because he repented. 由于他的悔悟，他们宽恕了他的罪。 来自辞典例句

19 disillusioned   

a.不再抱幻想的，大失所望的，幻想破灭的

参考例句：

• I soon became disillusioned with the job. 我不久便对这个工作不再抱幻想了。
• Many people who are disillusioned in reality assimilate life to a dream. 许多对现实失望的人把人生比作一场梦。