Satyam acts to address World Bank remarks

Satyam Computer Services has requested the World Bank to apologize and retract recent statements accusing the IT services company of bribery.

In a statement issued out of Hyderabad Thursday, Satyam said it is evaluating "all possible options" following the Bank's "inappropriate public statements".

The development follows a statement issued by the World Bank on Dec. 23, which said Satyam was banned from receiving direct contracts from the Bank for eight years, as a result of "providing improper benefits to Bank staff and for failing to maintain documentation to support fees charged for its subcontractors".

The India IT services provider now wants the Bank to issue a statement of apology to Satyam for the "harm" caused by its actions, and to explain the circumstances related to the Bank's statements.

"Satyam usually does not comment publicly on matters involving our customer relationships," the statement added. "However, the inaccuracy and inappropriateness of the World Bank’s public statements regarding Satyam has forced us to issue this brief statement in order to set the record straight."

The Bank's statement earlier this week also clarified that there is "no evidence that Satyam was involved in malicious attacks on the Bank's information systems".

In October, a report said that up to 40 servers in the Washington D.C.-based World Bank Group's network had been penetrated in various attacks since mid-2007. The Group is made up of two institutions--the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Development Association.