Defence Ministry rebuffs tender inconsistencies
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
10.08.2015 08:39
Claims made by a Polish weekly that the Defence Ministry was not transparent in its tender for military helicopters have been rejected by Minister Tomasz Siemoniak.
Poland will buy 50 Caracal helicopters from Airbus. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The Ministry could have falsified some of the test results as part of a tender to supply the Polish Armed Forces with 50 helicopters, according to the Wprost weekly.
Wprost claims that a committee looking into the tender confirmed the inconsistencies.
The weekly says that the Polish side desires to avoid responsibility for possible irregularities, and wants to delay the decision until after the general elections slated for late October.
The claims were rebuffed by Minister Siemoniak. “Are you joking in this heat? How can an 11-person committee under the supervision of [special] services forge anything?,” Siemoniak tweeted over the weekend.
The tender was won by French aeronautics producer Airbus Helicopters, leading to the opposition criticising the government over selecting a foreign producer over a home-based manufacturer.
Since an offset agreement was signed earlier this year, both PZL Świdnik and PZL Mielec – two Polish manufacturers of helicopters – have been forced to downsize. (rg/rk)