By: Kebba Ansu
Xian Zhi, Managing Director of TBEA Energy Company has dismissed the claims that his company bribed the Gambian government to win the Greater Banjul Area Transmission and Distribution Modernization Project.
He recently made the dismissal statement at sidelines of the laying of the foundation stone of the Greater Banjul Area Transmission and Distribution Modernization Project at Sukuta Salagi Forest Park.
In 2018 a startling revelation made by The Fatu Network revealed that $752, 594.42 was deposited into the accounts of the First Lady Fatoumata Bah Barrow Foundation by TBEA Co., Ltd, a Chinese manufacturer of power transformers and a developer of transmission projects.
Local media revealed that the transaction was made on December 18, 2017, into the Guaranty Trust bank account (GT Bank) of The First Lady Fatoumata Bah Barrow Foundation.
On the same day the foundation made a bank transfer of $746,211.13 to White Airways, Portuguese charter airlines headquarter in Porto Salvo, Oeiras.
The purpose of the transfer according to the telex report was to hire a flight to China where the money originated from.
The misery surrounding the transfer of the funds into the accounts of the First Lady remains in limbo as both Gambia Government and Fatou Bah Barrow Foundation officials remain muted on why such an amount of money was deposited into the accounts of FaBB Foundation instead of the accounts of The Gambia government.
“TBEA is a legal enterprise in the World Bank procurement system and also an international enterprise which operates all over the world legally and properly. We have won this project through the international competitive bidding process and has passed through all the necessary procedures,” said Xian Zhi, Managing Director of TBEA Energy Company.
He added: “We don’t know anything about the scandal and maybe some people are out there trying to attack this company and we are not interested in that. We don’t have anything to do with that scandal and as we mentioned before, we won this project through the international bidding process.”
Managing Director, Xian Zhi, continued and affirmed that TBEA is a reputable company that operates at the international competitive market, adding that the company has a good track records and has never been involved in any scandal to win Gambian Government $23million Greater Banjul Transmission and Distribution Modernization Project.
