A Korean company that won the technical bidding process of the massive project to produce power from garbage in the Maldives has filed a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), alleging deception and corruption in the waste-to-energy project.
Techcross Inc of South Korea filed the complaint with the ACC, claiming deceit and corruption in the project being given to another company despite Techcross offering the lowest estimated cost and the best proposal. While defending their claims, the company stated that the refusal of relevant authorities to meet with them when they enquired about the issue was proof that they were attempting to conceal something.
Top executives from the company told a local news outlet that the finance and environment ministries both declined to meet with them.
The ACC noted that a case by Techcross was submitted on September 5, but that the investigation had not yet begun since it was still in the reviewing process.
LG, a well-known electronics firm, owns a stake in Techcross, which has participated in ten Asian Development Bank (ADB) projects. Since its establishment in 2000, the firm has been involved in several renewable energy and waste management initiatives.
Senior executives from Techcross have also addressed letters to Ministers of Finance Ibrahim Ameer and Environment, Climate Change, and Technology Aminath Shauna outlining the issues they discovered during the project’s bidding process.
The company also stated that they sought a meeting and sent emails to clarify why they were not awarded the job despite presenting the lowest bid, but they have yet to get a response.
A representative from the company also said that the project’s bid was submitted in April, and because it was an open bidding process, it was apparent who submitted the lowest bid.
Techcross made an offer of USD 294 million, followed by Spain’s Urbaser with a proposal of USD 303 million, and China’s ENFI Engineering Corporation with a bid of USD 390 million.
According to the company, the claims were also forwarded to the President’s Office, but no answer was received after two weeks.
