Fake reforestation, with 5 million dollars

The municipality of Beirut paid eight billion pounds (the equivalent of more than five million dollars) in 2018 in exchange for a one-year contract for the rehabilitation, irrigation and maintenance of the capital’s parks and facilities. The book of conditions in which the company “Hicon” won the contest on the basis of which it stipulated that Beirut would be “seeded” with 30,000 varieties of crops, among large trees such as olive, pine, zinc and others (2,600 trees), small shrubs (12,000) and permanent flowering plants (4000). And seasonal flowering plants (12,000). Such a contract would have turned the city into a great park. But a tour of the streets of the capital, its gardens and its arid plateau invaded by dry grass, suggests that “afforestation” and “flowering” did not pass through it, neither today nor a year ago.

So what were the billions of lire of Beirut residents ‘appropriations’ money spent on, and why were 350 workers (including 150 policemen) employed at a cost of about 3 billion lire? As usual, the search for motives always leads to a series of unconvincing excuses and accusations between the city council, the interested departments of the municipality and the former governor. As usual, too, those matters would end up “lapping” … had it not been the new governor, Judge Marwan Abboud, who, from his previous position in the Audit Office, was monitoring the performance of the municipality and the corridors of its endless labyrinth.

Where are the olive trees?
The head of the municipality’s parks department, Maya Rahbani, points out that most of what was planted was saddened by not renewing the contract with “Hikon”, which left the trees and plants thirsty for three months in the middle of summer, not to mention that some of them were damaged, especially the medians of the Plaza de los Mártires and “Centro”, Due to the demonstrations that took place in the region after October 17, 2019. In a report on the summary of the company’s work At the governor’s request, Hikon’s work is confirmed to be flawless, from moving trees on sidewalks, paths, parks and squares to weeding, irrigating and cleaning. In fact, according to Al-Rahbani, the company did more than it was expected to do. requires him in the condition book, so he increased the amount of crops in the municipal stadium, the intermediate areas of the Corniche farm, Beshara El-Khoury, De Ghoul, Pierre Gemayel, Ibrahim Abdel-Al Square, Sheikh Zayed, Venice , the statue the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of the Interior!
In contact with “Al-Akhbar”, Rahbani reiterated that the work of the company is “excellent”. When asked about the sites that were planted with olives, pine nuts, zinc and others, she replied that she was not responsible for the file, referring the matter to the engineer, Pierre Feghali, despite the fact that the records of receipt of the work progress were signed by the head of the specialized unit, that is, Rahbani herself.

For his part, Al-Feghali (the engineer in charge of the municipality’s parks department) assures that “the sowing was carried out according to the principles, but these plants were not maintained and watered properly, in order to establish their roots in the ground. When the city council suspended the contract of the company, thousands of trees and roses were left without irrigation and they withered ”. But what about the many economic advances of 20 million pounds each that were approved by the city for the irrigation of crops? Al-Faghali considers that “the predecessor of 20 million is not enough for the planted trees.” Please note that the municipality has irrigation mechanisms in place and often requests the assistance of firefighters regarding irrigation.
Where did the company plant olive and pine trees? “We are talking about a job that was carried out a year and a half ago, and it is difficult to remember these details … perhaps on the farm,” Al-Feghali responds. What if the project needs 350 workers, including 150 policemen? He stressed that “the number of workers is less than required. There should be 150 transporters, 150 for planting, weeding and cleaning, and 50 for daily maintenance.
It should be noted that one of the municipal council conditions to complete the contract was to appoint half of the Beirut workers. This happened in conjunction with the parliamentary election season. More than one member from my country confirms that “afforestation” was one of the many files that were used as umbrellas for purely partisan and electoral benefits. A tour of some of the environments, ponds and gardens that contain few meager plantations confirms the certainty. A municipality official assures that the value of the crops and trees remaining today does not exceed $ 100,000, according to the exchange rate on the day of sowing. The paradox is that the Mufti Hassan Khalid Park in the Aisha Bakkar area was included among the gardens that were followed by afforestation. In the municipality, many point an accusing finger at the former governor, Ziad Shabib, because he was the holder of the last signature on the minutes of the receiving committees, and is responsible for ensuring the correct implementation of the conditions book. As for Shabib, for his part, he assures “Al-Akhbar” that the reception task falls to the agricultural engineers who closely monitor the company’s work on a daily basis. “The signing of the reception committee means that things are going well, and the committee is made up of the head of the specialized unit (Maya Rahbani) and two engineers (Pierre Feghali and Mona Ammash), and is subject to the supervision of the inspection municipal and central. Therefore, when I see the report signed by the corresponding department, I sign it in turn. “

Undertaker assigns an undertaker
Aside from the “lost” trees, there are question marks about the offer itself. This was decided by the tender committee headed by the head of the municipal council, Jamal Itani. This city council has launched a book of conditions that “matches” the analogy of the company “Hikon”. This company also “coincided” with the fact that none other than Imad Al-Khatib heads its board of directors, the candidate of the Future Movement in the previous parliamentary elections in the Marjayoun district, and one of the privileged businessmen of Beit Al-Wasat . It is more surreal than the “Hikon” that the city council found and found it more efficient to receive the plantation file, it works mainly in the field of recruitment! Therefore, it was evidenced that a company that did not employ agronomists and did not have equipment with pruning shears to assign its work to a subcontractor. The story confirmed by more than one source in the municipality confirms that the “Khalil Zaidan Company” bought the Al-Khatib “deal” at a price equivalent to 20% of its total value, which means that the net profit of “Hiccone “without” breaking “a basin or” hitting a shovel “» Up to 80%!
Shabib confirms that the only contractor with the municipality was the company “Haikon”, and that “there was no subcontractor because in this case it was supposed to formulate another contract with the municipality as stipulated by law.” The irony is that what the governor does not want to believe is confirmed by Zaidan himself. The latter says that he was a “subcontractor”, and that he carried out “everything that is required in the condition book in terms of planting, transplanting and maintenance”, and carried out “unnecessary actions, such as the development of new gardens in Sassine and near the Al-Safa Mosque in Ras Al-Nabeh. ” He points out that he is in possession of “all the documents and photographs” that prove the authenticity of his words.
The hypothesis that the contract will be strictly implemented is possible, but it is proven that the municipality of Beirut spent 8 billion pounds on trees, plants, shrubs and flowers that did not last a month! There are those who speak of the poor selection of crop types, and others of the appointment of workers who have contributed to the damage of the seedlings by not mastering the profession. However, Zaidan assures that “agricultural engineers are the ones who do the work. Often the council members and their president, Jamal Itani, would come to plant the main sites and collect salafis with broad smiles. But the tree or the rose needs water, and this is not guaranteed. “
“For some reason,” according to Zaidan, Itani refused to renew “Hikon”, and “literally said: I don’t want to fulfill the contract.” I know how to take care of Beirut. “And what happened is that” the nicks caused the lack of maintenance and weeding of what we delivered to them in excellent condition, so despair hit them all. “As for the talk that this dossier was nothing more than a cover for an employment party in conjunction with the elections, Zaidan denies it outright, because “each district in Beirut needs between 40 and 50 workers on the ground.”

The company that won the tender sold the project to a subcontractor for 20% of the value of the project.

Municipal sources traced Zaidan’s words, noting that the reception reports “were the object of fraud, in collusion with the municipal employees. As the book of conditions has been modified, but not on paper, so as not to go back to the Audit Table. “Paper is one thing and land is something completely different,” he adds. We saw no olive or pine trees. Most of what was planted are some roses in separate areas to pass the original purpose of this project, which is the fake jobs of politicians. As for the subcontractor, it is further proof that the tender is false, otherwise Zidane would have entered the tender and would have won himself. This is one of the looting methods and organized corruption operations carried out in the municipalities ”.
Who holds the municipality, main contractor or subcontractor responsible for any infraction? Most likely no one will. The central inspection is absent and the judiciary is unclear.
The above is no exception. The approach of committing violations, then erasing their effects and diluting them, is repeated in all the bids carried out by the municipality. Attempts by the city council to evade responsibility often follow, citing the same argument: the council is simply a discretionary power, while the executive power is in the hands of the governor. Thus, sources close to the mayor confirm that the council repeatedly requested the former governor to deliver a detailed report on the implementation of this contract, but the latter did not respond. This happened, but no one was interested in demanding again or speaking in public on issues related to the waste of public money.

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