Maputo, 24 Jan (AIM) – The Company China Jiangxi International Economic and Technical Cooperation (CJIC) has denied accusations that it is “violating its duties as a contractor”, raised recently by the Mozambican Federation of Building Contractors (FME).
Last week, the FME expressed its intention to hold accountable officials involved in irregular contracting schemes for the rehabilitation and construction of roads as part of the Urban Mobility Project in the southern municipality of Matola.
The FME promised to report the Chinese company “to the State Procurement Functional Unit (UFSA) at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, with a view to getting this contractor banned from working with the state.”
However, the company, in a statement, claims that the accusations against it are unfounded and defamatory.
“CJIC was surprised to learn of FME’s accusations, which were made public without prior consultation with us. As an international company, we firmly believe in the right to fair representation and due process in all business dealings. The CJIC strongly refutes all the accusations, considering them to be unfounded and slanderous”, reads the statement.|
According to the note, the FME position is “is based on unverified press reports and lacks a comprehensive enquiry with the relevant government bodies”.
The company says that it is possible to verify with Project Move and the Ministry of Transport that the bidding process and the awarding of the tender “were carried out in line with the bidding processes emanating from the tender documents, which fulfills the criteria established by the World Bank and the current national legislation, to which the CJIC strictly adhered.”
“During the bidding process for the five projects, we participated in all the necessary clarification processes and won three projects on the basis of a fair evaluation”, it adds.
The company claims that it has complied with the legal requirements and awaits the opportunity to present its case to the competent authorities, since the Central Office for the Fight Against Corruption (GCCC) has initiated an investigation.
The CJIC regrets that the latest information about the company has a possible financial and reputational impact resulting from the FME’s statements, and “we remain committed to defending our reputation and will pursue all legal avenues to protect our rights and interests.”
(AIM)
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