Maravi

Lubinda queries Rupiah’s involvement in oil deal

Lubinda queries Rupiah’s involvement in oil deal
By Chibaula Silwamba
Sat 28 Nov. 2009, 04:01 CAT

PF spokesperson Given Lubinda yesterday charged that President Rupiah Banda has turned State House into the centre of procurement negotiations like crude oil tender the government wants given to Russia’s LITASCO.

Commenting on revelations that the US $1.4 billion two-year contract to supply and deliver 1,440,000 metric tonnes of commingled petroleum feedstock will not be transparent because the government, through energy minister Kenneth Konga, had already selected Lukoil International Trading and Supply Company (LITASCO) as a preferred bidder and that the ongoing bidding process being done by the Zambia Public Procurement Authority (ZPPA) will just be a rubber stamp procedure, Lubinda advised everyone involved in this procurement to come out clean.

He also challenged the ZPPA to publish the conditions of the tender to allow all competitors to compete on an even footing without exchanging things midnight to suit the government’s preferred bidder.

“The problem we have is that Mr Rupiah Banda has turned State House into the centre of all procurement. Mr Rupiah Banda has reduced himself from being State President to being chief negotiator for contracts,” Lubinda said.

“That is why you see many people trooping to State House to go and fix and mix and whisky the contracts such as the one we are talking about. What ZPPA are saying that they can vary the conditions of tender during the process of tendering is nothing but just a pack of falsehoods.”

Lubinda said in this particular case, he had no doubt that ZPPA wanted the tender process to favour LITASCO.

“I want to challenge those who are in Parliament who are involved in this; we know that there is one or two individuals working with their friend … and we know that person to be known as chief rigger. When this man is involved in anything, it is because he is thinking about how to perpetuate his stay in politics,” said Lubinda.

“Therefore, I have no doubt that they are doing this with the intention of mobilising resources in preparation for the 2011 elections. This is just an MMD fundraising oil venture but the Zambian people must stop Rupiah Banda and MMD from doing that.”

A well-placed government source revealed that President Banda, using Konga, is determined to award the bid to LITASCO because he started discussions with them around June.

Another government source said the government directed the ZPPA to design tender evaluations and specifications that could only be met by LITASCO and that the first cargo delivery was scheduled by January 1, 2010 and yet bids would close on December 18, 2009.

But ZPPA director general Samuel Chibuye said making changes to the tender document is a normal procedure.

Chibuye said ZPPA had received correspondence from other bidders, without mentioning their names, who complained that the conditions were too difficult, hence ZPPA and the Ministry of Energy and Water Development were looking at those concerns to find a level playing field.

Labels: GIVEN LUBINDA, KENNETH KONGA, LITASCO, OIL, PROCUREMENT SYSTEMS, ZPPA

posted by MrK @ 12:48 PM