The UK government says it has lifted its three-year ban against global consultancy Bain & Company, which was implicated in state capture in South Africa.
The lifting of the ban comes seven months after it was imposed.
Former UK cabinet minister Lord Peter Hain urged the government to keep a close eye on the company following the lifting of the ban.
Bain & Company was banned from bidding for state work after the Zondo Commission revealed that it had played a major role in the state capture corruption scandal in South Africa.
In September last year, South Africa's National Treasury announced that it had banned Bain & Company from doing business with the state for 10 years for its role in alleged corrupt practices in the country.
Now Bain & Company will be allowed to tender for public sector contracts in the UK, but not in South Africa.
“Bain & Company have co-operated with our investigations and have provided considerable additional information on their self-cleansing actions. They have also agreed to a period of rigorous monitoring for a minimum of two years, during which their continued compliance will be assessed,” the UK government said.
“This decision is subject to a regular and thorough period of close monitoring, for a minimum of two years, so we can be satisfied that the company continues to uphold the measures they have now put in place.”
Hain said: “Rather than apply more pressure to advance the cause of justice the UK government has now copped out and lifted the ban on Bain it rightly imposed last year at my request.”
In October last year, following the 10-year ban placed on it by South Africa, the consultancy company said it wanted to continue to do business with the government, despite the wrongdoings of the past.
Bain & Company South Africa said it had written to the South African Revenue Services (Sars), the National Treasury and the Ministry of Finance requesting that the decade-long restriction prohibiting Bain SA from doing business with the state be overturned.
The Treasury said the reason for the restriction was that the company was engaged in corrupt and fraudulent practices in competing for a Sars contract.
Bain & Company was restricted from tendering for public sector contracts from September 5, 2022 to September 4, 2032.
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