No Tender, No Transparency? Questions Swirl Around Airport Security Contract

Following the dramatic hijacking of a Tropic Air flight on April seventeenth, the government moved quickly to tighten airport security—but now, questions are being raised about how one key contract was awarded. A company was hired in the aftermath of the incident, but eyebrows went up today when it was revealed that there’s no public record of a tendering process. That sparked concerns about transparency and fairness in the awarding of government contracts. When pressed on the issue, Prime Minister John Briceño acknowledged that he knows the owner of the company but offered little else. “That’s as much as I can say,” he told reporters. The lack of clarity has fueled speculation and criticism, with some calling for a full explanation of how the contract was granted and whether proper procedures were followed.

 

Reporter

“Sir, who is I Security and what’s Ian Cal’s relationship to you and to other politicians in the north? He got the contract to provide airport security, no tender given.

 

Prime Minister John Briceno

“ Well, I think that’s something you need to go and talk to the people at the B.A.A.”

 

Reporter

“You appoint them, Sir.”

 

Prime Minister John Briceño

“But I can tell you, I do know Ian Cal and that’s as far as I can tell you.”