Egypt: The trial of two land port officials for damaging public funds worth $9 million
The head of the Egyptian Administrative Prosecution Authority, Adly Gad, ordered the referral of the former head of the Central Administration of Land Ports in the General Authority for Land and Dry Ports and the former head of the Board of Directors of the Authority to disciplinary trial, on the grounds of their damage to public money at an amount of $9 million.
According to the statement issued by the Administrative Prosecution Authority, the prosecution charged the two defendants with harming the funds and interests of the General Authority for Land and Dry Ports, after purchasing insurance devices for the authority’s ports without studying their actual needs, which led to an increase in the number of these devices, which resulted in financial damage estimated at an amount exceeded 9 million US dollars.
The technical office of the head of the authority for investigations, headed by Counselor Muhammad Al-Saeed Fawzi, received the authority’s communication, to determine the responsibility of the authority’s specialists for purchasing insurance devices for its ports without studying its actual needs in violation of the law.
The investigations resulted in the aforementioned defendants, each according to his competence, preparing two statements including the Authority’s need for 188 insurance devices and the conclusion of a contract with a company to purchase insurance devices for ports by direct agreement for an amount exceeding $27 million, without following the contracting methods established by the Tenders and Auctions Law No. 89 of the year 1998 and its amendments.
And without obtaining the approval of the Prime Minister on the contract, despite its value exceeding the financial powers vested in him by law, and without conducting a study of the authority’s needs for those devices, which resulted in an increase in the number of 68 devices over its actual needs, in an amount exceeding 9 million dollars, in addition to Not writing the contract in Arabic and writing it only in English, in violation of the applicable regulations.
Investigations also proved that the ports affiliated with the authority were provided with the 120 devices they need, and 68 devices remain in excess of the actual needs, with a value exceeding 9 million dollars. In an attempt to redress the damage to public money, the authority dispensed, in agreement with the supplier company About the implementation of the contract for 23 devices before the supply and the return of two devices after the supply, and the sale of 25 devices to the “Egyptian Airports” and “Cairo Air Port” companies, and the authority has 18 devices left with a value of more than two million dollars, and it was not possible to dispose of them because the authority did not need them.
By presenting the results of the investigations to Counselor Adly Gad, Chairman of the Commission, he ordered the transfer of the accused to disciplinary trial, and also ordered the Public Prosecution to inform the Public Prosecution Office to carry out its affairs regarding the criminal offenses that emerged from the investigations, and assign the administration to quickly dispose of the rest of the insurance agencies that are in excess of their actual needs in accordance with the provisions of the law. And the regulations governing this matter, and conducting a study on how to refer to the accused for the damages resulting from the incident and act in light of it as a guide to the conclusion of the disciplinary ruling.
