Brno, Sept 17 (CTK) – The Czech Anti-Trust office UOHS has ordered the Defence Ministry to cancel a contract for a hand grenades supply because it was signed at variance with law, the UOHS wrote in a press release today, citing its chairman Petr Rafaj’s decision.
The ministry signed the contract still before the expiry of the deadline for opponents to raise their objections.
The ministry put up a tender for the grenade supply in July 2017, chose the winner in December, and in the same month it signed a contract with the winning Ceska zbrojovka company.
According to the E15 daily’s previous information, the contract is worth 200 million crowns.
STV Group, another company seeking the same public order, challenged the deal at the UOHS in January.
In April, the UOHS banned the implementation of the contract, a decision against which not only the Defence Ministry and Ceska zbrojovka but also STB Group lodged a complaint.
Rafaj dismissed the complaints, however.
“The Defence Ministry violated the law on public procurement by signing a contract still before the deadline for critics’ objections expired. During the administrative proceedings, the UOHS did not find out that the ban on the implementation of the deal might threaten the Czech Republic’s security interests, due to which it would have to be lifted,” Rafaj wrote.
“Nevertheless, the client [ministry] has proved the existence of certain reasons that are worth special attention and are linked with the public interest, due to which the UOHS has imposed the ban with a seven-month suspension effect,” Rafaj wrote.
The ministry thus can continue implementing the contract for seven months before terminating it.