Without Transparency, Jovenel Moise Gives $123 million in Contracts
The Jovenel Moise – Jack Guy Lafontant administrations has signed $123 million in contracts to three companies outside of procedure in suspicious circumstances. Troubling was that there was no bidding in the process to award the contracts.
The private companies, Auto Plaza SA, HAYTRAC (Haytian Tractor & Equipment Co. SA) and Automeca (Auto and Mécanique SA) were given these contracts to purchase 500 construction vehicles though neither are manufacturers of such machinery.
The government entity which manages heavy equipment, the National Equipment Center (CNE), appears to not have been consulted or involved at all.
According to the Minister of the Economy and Finance, “it is [the Ministries of Public Works, Agriculture and Defense] that will use this equipment first but some will be in use at the level of the army because military professionals will be at the forefront of climate emergencies. Let us not forget that some of them are military engineering professionals who will help open up areas hit by natural disasters.”
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Image: Florida International University