Are ministry leaders involved in the 16 million tender, for which Periscope reported ten times

The new masters of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Lieburn Aliu and Hysen Durmishi, who have taken over the ministry's leadership for a year and four months, are trying to remove all its guilt for the suspicious 16.4 million tender process, claiming they have initiated the auditing Unit to audit the whole process. So they're shifting responsibility to the procurement office. But are they responsible for a possible misuse of this process, which Periscope has baptized in about ten reports as “16 million,”.

Here we're bringing back some memory to the events of a year ago. Once he takes power, among the first to appear at the media conference to show that he has investigated a corrupt attempt, was Hysen Durmish.

We have cancelled the tender for summer and winter maintenance for regional roads. The projected value of this project was 44m euros, this was a three-year framework contract that allows the contract manager to increase by up to 30 percent. At the end of last week we have announced the new tender, just as we promised by changing as a whole as a concept, changing the page by removing doubled positions and quantity with speculation and counting exact amounts. We have also introduced new products that increase the quality of roads and therefore safety in communications”.

This was part of Durmish's statement in May of last year.

With this we are stressing that Durmish had publicly admitted to involvement in the tender.

“We've made changes in parameters and implemented new products”.

Setting criteria is a key issue in procurement procedures, and in the 16 million tender, there have been also a favourable criteria that may have been made on the table with certain companies.

With the contract announcement being made, Periscope had reported that the ministry that at the start had set discriminatory criteria that favour the oligarchs. On March 22, this year, we have published the article <x0) Hysen Durmish criteria 1m euros at the bank companies for road maintenance” . Calling to the Procure Law, we have put our doubts here that at least two of the established criteria are very swollen.

The ministry's procurement, which was led by manager Nexhat Krasniqi, had opened offers and recommended contracting these companies.

Lot 1 has won the Group of Company leaders “Lake Company” KPS & “Lake Trade”

Lot 2: Group of companies with company leader “2A Group” KPS & NNT “ABC” KPS & “B CORP” KPS & “J UBICA” KPS.

Lot 3. Group of companies, with company leader “Damastion Project” shpk & “Via” & “Company Eskavator”.

We have noted that among the winners is a company that is not doing the jobs he has with the current contract. This is about the winners of the tear 3, “Damastion Project” shpk & “Via” & “Company Eskavator”.

Periscope had found that the group of companies “Dimestion Project” & “Via Egnatia”, contracted by MMPHI, in 2020, had eroded asphalt for several miles on both sides of Pristina's national route, namely in the midst of the villages of the Lapunik Comora. The road had never been asphalted, and the ministry had never punished the company as well. Now ironic is that despite poor work, the same company was recommended for contract. In this regard, we have published text “Hysen Durmish does not punish the five-centan company that left the highway unassigned, gives back tender”.

Likewise, Periscope noted that among the winners for tear 2, was the production chief dot company “A2 group”. But, reporting has not been done just because it is Krasniqi's Jourani company, because it could potentially be responsible against the ministry's demands. The text is related to that Krasniqi has not allowed company access to this company's bid, as the law allows companies to have such an approach. When applying for review to the ministry, at the moment they suspect the company may not have met any demands.

Seeing that the chief of procurement wasn't responding to legal access to the complaining companies on May 12th, Periscop has made another report on this tender procedure.

While the ministry had accepted several complaints from companies regarding it that they were unjustly eliminated, while the ministry had the tender in suspension, but did not give answers, Periscop made another report under the research. . We found that in a very friendly environment, in the evening hours, they were drinking coffee and beer, procurement chief Nexhat Krasniqi, the chairman of this tender's assessment committee, Shefqet Emerlah and the winner of the tender (in limbo), for tears 2, Valon Ademi.

After these reports, Minister Lieburn Aliu had initiated the Internal Audition Unit, but the people's selection had been cheated. He had left out the most competent person, the head of the Internal Audition Unit, Begzad Musliu, until he had invited two interior audiences and team leaders to the team, a less competent official from the Environment Ministry. Musliu was deliberately left out of auditing just because his audit had revealed irregularities in the contract of the sticky tickets that had been signed by Hysen Drumishi, but which was later cancelled. On this occasion, Periscop had made an exclusive report.

That the audit unit was engaged. Minister Aliu himself had officially confirmed.

During this time of developments, while the audience was gathering facts and the tender was suspended because of complaints, Durmish had reported to the media and had spoken a little about the tender.

Periscope, calling to some of his statements, had found new facts and had published the article “Durmish morning issues reference to the company, in the afternoon mentions to the Prosecutor”.

Periscop's findings concerned the recommendation for the contract for tear 3, where the winners have been announced to companies at the consortium “Damastion Project” shpk & “Via” & “Company Eskavator”. The Ministry of Infrastructure had issued references to the work done, to the company “Demastion Project” on the date 03.03.2022 , for performing the works, still without the contract being completed and several contract positions being completed. It's the reference to the “project maintenance of the A7 Highway A7 Ibrahim Rugova”, which was signed in July 2019, with duration for 3 years and valid until July 3, 2022.

Meanwhile, on June 24th we reported that “Audience has submitted the report for the 16 million tender of the Ministry of Infrastructure, where violations” are recorded.

Calling to the Law for Access to Public Documents, Periscope had applied for access to this report, following this procurement activity from its beginning. The ministry has rejected the request. The refusal was done, not by calling into any provision of the law, as well as in the ministry's internal procedures. In this regard Periscope is awaiting a legal interpretation by the ombudsman.

And also, despite the fact that the interior audience had completed the report that resulted in violations from the initialing of the procurement activity to its assessment, The ministry's procurement a few days ago has sent for signing the contract this procurement procedure., recommending contracts to companies that were declared winners the first time.

Infrastructure Minister Lieburn Aliu has been asked in the Parliament on Thursday for the internal auditing report for the 16 million tender, where there are allegedly irregularities. Ali stressed that They will cooperate with the investigation and the prosecution.

For the tender you're talking about, we've had irregularities from the operators' complaints. The Anques have been based and I have this report on my own with the deputy minister. There's a market that has order and we take it very seriously and we invite the prosecution. We're ready and we've prepared the material to be taken into this very matter”, he said.

This isn't all over here. It remains to be seen what the ministry's action will be, whether it will cancel this procurement procedure, turn it into re-evaluation, or sign contracts with companies that are recommended for the contract. All these actions, they must have legal argumentation, because ultimately, the Procurement Law does not allow a tender procedure to be annulled, just because an audience says so. /Mentor Buzhala - PERISCOP/