Attorney-General Says Tenders Awarded On Merit
All contracts in Fiji including road construction are awarded based on who wins a tender and not which country gets along well with Fiji.
This was the message by acting Prime Minister and Attorney- General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum yesterday when he was door stopped by a New Zealand journalist after his meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters.
He was asked whether Mr Peters had raised any concerns about New Zealand-based company Fulton Hogan Hiways not receiving any contracts in Fiji recently.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum confirmed it was not brought up during their discussion, adding that the contract was finalised through an independent tender process and the “Fiji Roads Authority is an independent body”.
He added that FRA would go through processes and their decision would be made according to what it believed to be the best thing for the country.
Some road building contracts had been given to China Railway Fifth Group, including some which were previously with Fulton Hogan Hiways.
Mr Sayed-Khaiyum also clarified that the process had nothing to do with the China-New Zealand businesses, but it was a business proposition and that Fiji was open to any relationship with any country.
Meanwhile, Mr Peters was also questioned on the tender processes, however, he said he was briefed about the tender by his team. But he said he was not briefed on the economic analysis or what went on behind closed doors.
Edited by Naisa Koroi
