Ports company audit uncovers corrupt deals
MPL spent MVR86 million without a bidding process.
12 Dec 2019, 9:00 AM
Hassan Mohamed
The state-owned Maldives Ports Limited spent over MVR86 million (US$5.5 million) between 2015 and 2017 without a competitive bidding process, a special audit of the company’s procurements has found.
A report released by the audit office on Monday flagged 86 cases of illegal expenses, inflated costs and suspected graft.
MPL spent MVR86.1 million without a bidding process to buy 17 vehicles, power engines and flags as well as anti-virus and firewall software, auditors found. Estimates were sought from handpicked sellers despite the requirement of of a public tender for purchases over MVR25,000 under procurement rules for state-owned enterprises. This was done to award contracts to specific parties, auditors concluded.
Purchases worth MVR15.2 million were also made as “emergency procurements” but auditors found that they were unwarranted by circumstances.
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