A settlement has been reached in a whistleblower class action lawsuit brought against Harbert Corporation, Harbert International, Inc., Bill Harbert International Constructions Inc., Harbert Construction Services (U.K.) Ltd. and Bilhar International Establishment. They are accused of submitting false claims, and caused others to submit false claims, to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The whistleblower's share of the government's recovery was not disclosed.
The initial whistleblower suit that triggered the government's allegations was filed in 1995. The United States alleged that the Harbert entities conspired to rig the bids on a USAID-funded construction contract that was bid and performed in Cairo, Egypt, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Harbert International Inc. was part of a joint venture that bid on, and was ultimately awarded, Contract 20A to build a sewer system. The United States also alleged that various Harbert entities entered into agreements with other potential bidders on Contract 20A to ensure that the joint venture would win the bid. The United States contended that other potential bidders agreed to either not bid or bid intentionally high in return for a payoff.
