The government has initiated efforts to seek compensation amounting to USD 2.1 million for the acquisition of ventilators. The agreement, signed on April 2, 2020, between the Ministry of Health and Executors General Trading in Dubai aimed to procure ventilators to required following the COVID-19 situation. Unfortunately, the ventilators were not delivered as per the terms outlined in the agreement established by the previous government.
Arbitration proceedings determined that the government is entitled to USD 2.1 million, covering the ventilator's price and compensation for the breach of contract. During a press conference, Attorney General Ahmed Usham revealed that Executors General Trading, based in Dubai, did not provide any statements during the arbitration. Given the company's registration in Dubai, the government is actively pursuing legal action in Dubai courts.
Attorney General Usham emphasised the substantial losses incurred by the country in the ventilator matter and expressed a commitment to recovering the expenses. He highlighted that while the ventilators were not received as agreed and considerable expenses were borne during the arbitration process. Despite the arbitration being initiated by the previous government, representatives from the current government attended the recent hearings, necessitating to attend enforcement.
Under the agreement, the government received only 15 ventilators, which were rejected due to non-compliance with the specified standards. In response, the Ministry of Health requested a refund of USD 2 million since the ventilators were not delivered.
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) raised concerns over the absence of a bank guarantee in the contract signed by the previous government with Executors General Trading. Additionally, the ACC noted that the previous government had provided USD 2.2 million to the company without obtaining necessary information about the company and without assessing its capacity to supply the required number of ventilators.