Nation»
PAC tightens MoFA screws
- Asks to see MRP dossier in five days
KATHMANDU, JUL 13 -
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Legislature-Parliament has intensified investigation into the decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) to award the multi-billion contract of printing and supplying the Machine Readable Passport (MRP) to French firm—Oberthur Technologies. The parliamentary panel has asked the MoFA to furnish all the dossiers related to the global bidding process within five days.
PAC held a meeting with senior MoFA officials, including Foreign Secretary Madan Kumar Bhattarai, Chief of Protocol Muktinath Bhatta on second consecutive day following the controversy about the “alleged procedural wrong” while awarding the contract to the French firm.
PAC intensified discussions on the issue after the parliamentary committee received complaints that reported the printer proposed by the French company was of substandard quality. The PAC members claimed that they have received complaints about the French company Oberthur, which is planning to provide substandard passport copy and that Nepal’s security concerns were not met properly while awarding the contract.
They also mentioned that PAC was not satisfied with the clarification furnished by the foreign secretary and his colleagues, so it has sought all the dossiers related to the deal.
PAC has directed the MoFA to submit all the documents related to the tender process for MRP printing, rate of the proposed bidding process, experiences of the bidding company, all the requirements set by Public Procurement Act and Regulations, within the next five days.
PAC has also directed the MoFA to submit legal paperwork, its decision, and opinion in writing within five days.
PAC issued the directives following discussion with senior officials in Singha Durbar on Tuesday.
Among the four applicants, the lowest bidder-Oberthur-was picked for the contract as per the rules and procedures.
Posted on: 2010-07-14 08:12
Headlines
Advertisements
