• The blacklisting should not only end at companies.
• It should also be extended to directors of these companies.
• Such companies should be blacklisted and never do business with government again.
Consortium of Local Contractors and Allied Suppliers has called on government to also blacklist Directors of the Companies that deliberately defrauded the country.
Speaking in an interview with Money FM News, Consortium President John Chilupula said if the Directors are not blacklisted, they may form other companies and continue with the same tendencies.
Mr. Chilupula further said the punitive action should not only be limited to companies but must be extended to officials in the procurement departments because they are compromising their professional ethics of procurement.
“The blacklisting should not only end at companies, it should also be extended to directors of these companies because government may blacklist their companies, tomorrow they will form other companies and continue with the same tendencies.”
“I feel this kind of punitive action should not only be limited to companies, even officials in the procurement departments should equally be punished because they are compromising their professional ethics of procurement,” Mr. Chilupula said.
He added that all the Contractors and Suppliers who have been struck off the list of Companies on public projects should never be allowed to do business with government again.
“So it’s quite sad and its timely that such companies be blacklisted and should never do business with government again.”
And Mr. Chilupula said the blacklisting of Companies who defrauded government is long overdue because the behaviour has continued to disadvantage a lot of contractors.
“As a consortium of Local Contractors and Allied Suppliers, we have welcomed the pronouncement by government, to blacklist all those Companies who have defrauded government. Infact, this is long overdue, reason being that this behaviour has continued to disadvantage a lot of contractors. They are the same individuals who are using different companies and have continued to defraud government.”
“This is worrying because in as much as we are trying to push for local participation in the construction and supply industry, these kind of tendencies still remain a great barrier for local suppliers and contractors to win confidence from the new dawn administration,” he stated.
Recently, President Hakainde Hichilema announced that all contractors and suppliers who participated in a scheme to deliberately defraud the country will be blacklisted and barred from conducting any business with government.
