Nawec Saga Takes New Twist, Conteh Exonerated From Blame
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The Independent
February 5, 2001
Posted to the web February 5, 2001
Banjul
Recently, it was announced that Alhagie Conteh was dismissed as managing director of the National Water and Electricity Corporation NAWEC) because he was accused of involvement in a deal to defraud the country by allegedly inflating the cost of a 6 megawatt generator while signing a contract between NAWEC and Mirrlees Blackstone.
According to a press release from the Office of the President, Mr. Conteh "deliberately inflated " the cost of the generator, alleging that the money was meant for President Jammeh for his election campaign. However, according to a story carried by The Independent of last Friday, Alhagie Conteh's removal from office could have been due to his refusal to sign another contract document allegedly presented to him by certain powerful individuals.
On Friday, The Independent received the following statement from one David Copeland, signing as general manager sales for Mann and BW Limited in the United Kingdom "to clarify the issue":
Dear Sir/Madam, We shall be obliged if you will, in the interest of the public, print the following text which reflects our reaction to the news broadcast of the 18th /19th January, 2001 on national television and radio which related to the contract between Nawec and our organisation, Mirrlees Blackstone. Yours faithfully, D. W. J. Copeland - General Manager Sales Statement.
We refer to the news broadcast of the 18th /19th January, 2001 on national television & radio, and in the press, which related to the contract between Nawec and our organisation, Mirrlees Blackstone. Any inference that Mr. Lamin Sanneh (Ministry of Works), Mr. A B Dandeh N'Jie (Mirrlees representative in the Gambia) or Mr. David Cliff (Mirrlees Area Sales Manager for Africa) were party to any 'fraudulent contractual arrangement' is unfounded and totally rejected.
The integrity of these three individuals stands untarnished. Mr. Sanneh and Mr. Dandeh N'Jie did not take any part in the negotiations but merely acted as witnesses to signatures. The contract was not 'negotiated single handedly by the Managing Director of NAWEC'. The extent of supply, terms of payment, and conditions of contract were developed over a two year period which culminated in a draft document being prepared in July 1999 following discussions with Messrs Corr, N'Dure and Jarjussey of NAWEC. This document in turn formed the basis for the final Contract Document dated 27th October 2000, completed in Banjul; those persons who attended these final negotiations included Mr. Corr, Mr. N'Dure, Mr. Bahoum, Mr. Jarjussey, Mr. Conteh (part time), Mr. Mendi (part time).
Every page of the contract document comprising 223 pages was firstly initialled by three NAWEC representatives - Mr. Corr, Mr. Ndure & Mr. Bahoum, and Mr. Alhaji Conteh also added his initials to each page. There was no 'inflated price'. The basic contract figure was agreed in July 1999, some six months before Mr Conteh was appointed to office. The Mirrlees price was not 'deliberately inflated'. A previous price was agreed and contracted between Nawec and a reputable independent contractor in January 2000 in the sum of £4,350,500 for supplying the same Mirrlees set (this contract was cancelled for want of a bank guarantee); whereas our contract sum as agreed on the 27th October 2000 is in the much lower sum of £3,400,000. The equipment will take 10 months to install and commission from effectiveness of contract.
However in view of the urgency and the desperate need to increase the national power supply, we have identified the engine block and have also undertaken the first civil works surveys of the power station. These have been done in good faith prior to the contract being made financially effective by NAWEC, with the aim of achieving significant saving on implementation time and to carry out the contract efficiently. We value the excellent working relationship and goodwill that has existed between Nawec and our organisation for many years, and we shall be ready to be of service to Nawec and Kotu Power Station in time of need."<br clear=all><hr>Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at <a href="http://explorer.msn.com">http://explorer.msn.com</a><br></p>
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