Just three days after the deal was announced, Lebanon's government on Thursday agreed to cancel a $122 million contract to build a new airport terminal following public outcry.
“Although the project of constructing the new terminal for travellers is of great importance, in the wake of the legal controversy taking place in the country … I announce courageously that we terminate the contract and that we consider it not to be in effect,” the caretaker Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamie, said.
He said his decision followed a request from Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed political party which he represents in the government.
Mr Hamie's decision also came after meetings on Thursday with the Parliamentary Committee on Public Works, representatives of the Court of Audit, and the director of the Public Procurement Authority to discuss the deal.
“This confirms that if members of parliament hold ministers accountable, we can improve governance. In this case, we were able to protect the current laws on public procurement, which provide a transparent framework to award such projects,” said Mark Daou, one of the 13 opposition MPs in parliament.
On Monday, Mr Hamie announced that the government had awarded a contract to build and operate a new terminal at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport for 25 years through a mutual agreement with Lebanese Air Transport (LAT) and Irish airport company daa International.
Daa is a state-owned company that owns and operates the Dublin and Cork airports. Its subsidiary, Aer Rianta International, has been operating Beirut duty free since 1996 with Phoenicia Trading, owned by the Lebanese businessman Mohamed Zeidan.
LAT is the ground handling company for Beirut's airport, with the Saudi Prince Turki bin Muqrin Al Saud among its key shareholders, according to the Lebanese trade register.
However, the absence of a competitive bidding process for a contract valued at more than $100 million triggered a significant amount of public criticism and opposition from civil society groups and some MPs.
Critics said the agreement could violate the law on public procurement passed in 2021 to enhance transparency and curb cronyism in awarding public contracts.
The international community praised the 2021 law as a positive step towards adhering to international standards and made its implementation a prerequisite for providing crucial financial assistance to Lebanon.
Mr Hamie, daa and the press office of the Irish Ministry of Transport did not respond to requests for comment.
'Important step' towards transparency
Karim Daher, an international lawyer and board member of Aldic, the Lebanese association for taxpayer rights, lauded the cancellation of the contract as an “important step”.
Aldic, along with nine other civil society groups, issued a petition denouncing the contract's non-compliance with the law.
“Civil society organisations campaigned for the passage of the new law and will continue to do so to ensure its full implementation. It is one of our many ongoing battles for greater integrity, transparency, and accountability in Lebanon,” Mr Daher said.
He also questioned why Mr Hamie submitted the new terminal contract for review to the Court of Audit and the PPA after the deal was signed.
“This should have been done before,” he said.
The cancelled contract was on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis, a common arrangement in which the state grants a concession to private companies to finance, build and operate a large infrastructure project that it cannot fund on its own.
It granted the consortium the rights to operate the airport terminal and to collect revenue from fees and taxes, including from airlines, retail activity, duty-free sales and parking fees for a period of 25 years.
After this time, control of the airport terminal would return to the state.
“These contracts are highly lucrative for private companies,” Mr Daher said. “As they entail a long-term commitment from the state, it is crucial to conduct thorough due diligence and ensure complete transparency.”
Wronged companies?
Mr Hamie said he would take part in a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee of Public Works next week to “review the details of the new terminal project”, including the reasons for the project, its objectives, its legal framework, financing, and the expected benefit to the Treasury.
The companies could potentially challenge the decision and appeal to the Council of State for compensation if they believe they have suffered damages, as the contract had already been signed. Alternatively, they may choose to accept the decision in order to maintain a positive relationship for future tender opportunities.
Beirut airport's sole terminal was built in 1998 and has not undergone expansion in more than 20 years, leading to overcrowding and delays.
Lebanon's infrastructure has been reeling from three years of an unprecedented economic crisis, following decades of reckless spending of public funds by the state. This often involved profitable infrastructure contracts being awarded to companies with political connections.
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 4 (Salah (pen 4, 33', & pen 88', Van Dijk (20')
Leeds United 3 (Harrison 12', Bamford 30', Klich 66')
Man of the match Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
The specs
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
Keane on …
Liverpool’s Uefa Champions League bid: “They’re great. With the attacking force they have, for me, they’re certainly one of the favourites. You look at the teams left in it - they’re capable of scoring against anybody at any given time. Defensively they’ve been good, so I don’t see any reason why they couldn’t go on and win it.”
Mohamed Salah’s debut campaign at Anfield: “Unbelievable. He’s been phenomenal. You can name the front three, but for him on a personal level, he’s been unreal. He’s been great to watch and hopefully he can continue now until the end of the season - which I’m sure he will, because he’s been in fine form. He’s been incredible this season.”
Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s instant impact at former club LA Galaxy: “Brilliant. It’s been a great start for him and for the club. They were crying out for another big name there. They were lacking that, for the prestige of LA Galaxy. And now they have one of the finest stars. I hope they can go win something this year.”
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The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
Day 5, Dubai Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Given the problems Sri Lanka have had in recent times, it was apt the winning catch was taken by Dinesh Chandimal. He is one of seven different captains Sri Lanka have had in just the past two years. He leads in understated fashion, but by example. His century in the first innings of this series set the shock win in motion.
Stat of the day This was the ninth Test Pakistan have lost in their past 11 matches, a run that started when they lost the final match of their three-Test series against West Indies in Sharjah last year. They have not drawn a match in almost two years and 19 matches, since they were held by England at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi in 2015.
The verdict Mickey Arthur basically acknowledged he had erred by basing Pakistan’s gameplan around three seam bowlers and asking for pitches with plenty of grass in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah. Why would Pakistan want to change the method that has treated them so well on these grounds in the past 10 years? It is unlikely Misbah-ul-Haq would have made the same mistake.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
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- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
MORE ON THE US DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES
GROUPS AND FIXTURES
Group A
UAE, Italy, Japan, Spain
Group B
Egypt, Iran, Mexico, Russia
Tuesday
4.15pm: Italy v Japan
5.30pm: Spain v UAE
6.45pm: Egypt v Russia
8pm: Iran v Mexico
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
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Price: From Dh117,059
