MALE, June 29 (HNS) ? Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is to file a court case against Department of Immigration and Emigration for its decision to proceed with the border control system being developed by Malaysia?s Nexbis Limited, despite the commission?s orders to halt the project.
Deputy Commissioner Muawwiz Rasheed said the department put the project on hold once but later resumed the project after the Cabinet asked the department to continue.
?No authority can ask to act in violation of our orders as it?s mandatory to follow our orders. The court verdict will be a precedent,? he said.
?They are carrying out works of the project not in compliance with our orders. We believe that the project cannot be carried out without bringing the changes noted by us.?
Immigration Department signed a 20-year build, operate, and transfer (BOT) concession contract with Malaysia?s Nexbis Limited on October 17, 2010, despite the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) informing the department to adjourn the signing ceremony after it received a ?serious? public complaint.
President Mohamed Nasheed, on January 26, asked the department to halt the project, which the ACC said, was carried out in a way that could lead to corruption.
The Cabinet deliberated on the matter and recommended the department to proceed with the project, later assigning National Centre for Information Technology (NCIT) to oversee the agreement between the department and Nexbis.
Under the Rf500 million project, an electronic border gate system would be established in Male International Airport.
According to the bidding invitation announcement issued early last year, the electronic border gate system should be equipped with automated facial recognition technology and fingerprint technology to identify the immigrants and an integrated system should provide instant access to travel document records, passport, and visa and fingerprint database.
Haveeru, however, learned from reliable sources that Nexbis?s system does not include key features including e-gate, automated facial recognition technology and passport production.
The government should repay the initial investment of the system which would cost about US$39 million (Rf501 million) within 20 years. A US$2 fee is to be charged from every foreigner entering the country and US$15 has to be paid for work visa.
Nexbis is required to pay five percent of its profit to the government as royalty.
NBS Price at posting:
8.7¢ Sentiment: ST Buy Disclosure: Held
(20min delay)
