Hide millions of contracts with Bechtel-Enka: Can't be seen by a third party

Distaking responsibility at the right time seems to cost Kosovo a lot.

The agreement is signed without agreement on how much payment will be cost. The contractor's request in November has submitted the document, requiring 63m euros. There are three factors that have determined this sum: prolonging the project for paying and keeping the 16.6m-euro project. The equipment, to be used at cost of 30.8m euros. The cuts that have been caused, at cost of over 10m euros”, Lekaj said.

This contract is required to be made public, but the current minister has said that if the contract is published, one of the articles would be violated.

Commission member Mimoza Kusari has indicated that Minister Lekaj has reported to the Commission that she has signed an amendment to the contract to rescue Arbitrazhi, but, according to her, Kosovo does not have to go to Arbitrazh, nor why does it pay Bechtel 63 million.

According to Kusar, for this process and for the actual management of this contract, which has now passed through three government cabinets from its signing in July 2014, a specialised and nationwide government team is needed. The parliamentary commission asked for the contract's publication, but that wish is not being met by the minister, who is saying it is one under contract, which the parties do not publish.

Kusari says that since the minister is refusing to publish the contract, MPs have remained to address the court to demand the right to publish it.

In this regard the newspaper Express has contacted former Infrastructure Minister Lutfi Zhark to understand more about not publishing the contract.

Zharku says only a few business mothers are not allowed to be published, while the rest may.

<x) There's a Bechtel-Enka paperwork on this case”, he said of Express.

While Eset Berisha, Lekaj's adviser, tells Express that the contract is of special protection and cannot be published on the third side.

“The contract is protected by special clauses for privacy and cannot be published in the third pair, without the consent of both sides”, Berisha has said.

In the government in 2016, the additional agreement was blocked and returned. Until next year, in September 2017, the government led by Isa Mustafa no longer took any action on a major financial obligation that had entered with his predecessor in Government, Hashim Thaci, the US-Turkish consortium.

These details and many other things about the 63m-euro claim by “Bechtel&Enka” were cleared in a letter to the project manager of “Bechtel& Enka” Riyadh Alkhazrai, who had addressed five government ministers “Mustafa” and transaction adviser.

In this letter, among other things, the director's distrust of the government's ability to respond to the financial obligations stemming from the contract is noted.

If this agreement does not get epilogue, Kosovo can face the contracting company in Arbitrazh.

Eset Berisha, has told Express that going to Arbitraz is part of the contract, if the parties disagree on any of the points, so the alleged epilogue is even possible.

At the same time, Bechtel&Enka says it will refer to relevant institutions, as the contract envisions.

Bechtel Enka JV is institutional and as such refer to relevant institutions. Every element of the contract is converting legislation to power”, has responded to the Journal Express, Bechtel&Enka spokeswoman Ella Ruci.

While Bechtel&Enka is asking for the money, Berisha says the company has not submitted official requests, but only a warning.

“did not mention Arbitrazhi's work or submit official request. All they've given up is a warning of their application in 2016 and 2017. They haven't submitted the official request with which we should return the response to go to Arbitraz”, said Minister Paul Lekaj's legal adviser.

Since nothing is defined, Berisha says everything is still questionable. Thus, he shows that Minister Lekaj will attempt to make the damage to the issue smaller.