Companies deceived municipality, road asphalt fails in Obilic

Two rural asphalt projects in the Obilic municipality in 2012 and 2013 were marked by numerous problems.

The projects were forwarded with many violations of procurement procedures and fraud of contracting authority. All of this was reflected in street asphalt, or in their poor quality. The situation on the ground shows that those roads have begun to be damaged a year after they've been paved, and one of them in the village of Mazzit, in the Magrive neighborhood has almost completely broken.

Despite the insistence, Preportr has failed to get access to the “Rural Roads Asphalmation” contract. On June 29, 2018, we applied to the Obilic Community Information Office to see more details. During this period of time, Preportr has been in touch with the information office, and they consistently claimed that they were looking for the contract in their archives, but that they were not finding it.

Regarding these two projects, the Kosovo Special Prosecutor has filed charges against 12 people, municipal officials, including the then mayor of the municipality, Mehmet Krasniqi, leaders of companies that have won the tenders, as well as deputy contractor who has done the jobs. On May 19th 2017, the Constitutional Court in Pristina has declared the indictment, condemning five people, leaders and workers of economic operators, and declaring the municipal officials and the mayor innocent.

Any road paved by these economic operators can reportedly be considered damaging, as no road has been paved in accordance with terms defined by contract and annexes.

Works are realised without contracting

On road construction in Bresnica, there were violations of procedures and the Public Procure Law, since “Delta Ing” had begun stretching with asphalt of the additional 250 meters. This has happened after the municipality has declared this company a winner, but it has not expected the deadline for complaints. “Delta Ing” had immediately begun the asphalt without signing the contract.

In the final word of the court process that had been carried out regarding this contract, the project manager had stated that it is true that the road had been paved ten days before the contract was signed and that it had occurred after the economic operator had been informed that he had won the contract, but had not waited even eight days until the end of the complaint deadline.

The winner of this tender, “Delta Ing”, had not done the work on his own, but had hired a sub contractor. During the trial, the owner of this company claimed he had regretted the continuation of the works on these streets entrusted it to the company's deputy contractor, the owner “Beyta Commerce”.

According to the indictment, the name Sopijan the owner of the company “Delta Ing” as well as the manager responsible of this company, from April 2013 to September 2013, as individuals responsible for realising the project “continuation of the debaration of the Breznza Ig Koskavik Street asphalt and the asphalt of the road in the village of Kozarica, the cost of contract 44, 954.53 euros, <x> with the aim of realisation of the profiting the rich against the economic operator <x> I45th> by means of the false facts, and by bringing facts to the official person, the most relevant to Kosovo's budget, the most relevant to the O665th budget, which results from the country's in the next year.

“Based on lab expertise reports, it has resulted in that gravel thickness is 7.18cm, while on the basis of the contract it should be at least 25cm. The average thickness of asphalt has proved to be four to two inches [4.72 cm], but according to the contract it should be eight inches [8 cm]. The average relativeity of these roads has resulted in 95.93 %, which is below the minimum allowed 97 %”, is said to be, among other things, in the act.

Even the contract signed between the Obilic Community and the company “Bas Com”, to lay down some roads did not go well. The value of the first contract was 150,232.53 euros and the value of annexes-contact 7.710 euros.

Company owner “Bas Com” had contracted the company “Beyta Commons”. Engineer responsible for implementing the “salmation of rural roads”, Shpend Kelmendi, came from the company “Bas Com”.

Pristina's Constitutional Court in the act issued for this contract has concluded that this sub-convention was done illegally and that the work was not done under the contract.

The indictment reportedly says that by this contract, the aforementioned have presented false documentation, and by concealing facts have exposed the official person of competent directorate near the Obilic Community to act at the expense of its wealth, Kosovo's budget, respectively, by causing damage of 157.942 euros.

You can read the complete research at PREPORTR.