AL-SAHWA: Sanaa weekly, 9-7-98. [Archives:1998/28/Press Review]

[Yemeni Congregation for Reform (Islah)]   Main Headline:
1- Official sources deny foreign media reports attributed to a bogus Yemeni security source implicating Islah in the recent acts of violence and looting.
2- Islah condemns violence and rejects price rise.
3- The conference to establish a coordination council for university teachers syndicates has failed to gain the participants’ support.
4- A special parliamentary committee is to investigate allegations of human rights violations in Aden.
5- Security bodies in Aden warn mosque speakers and Imams against criticizing the reform program in their sermons.
Article Summary:
Tender Irregularities
A parliamentarian report has strongly criticized the Agricultural Bank of Borrowing (ABB) and the Central Organization of Control and Audit (COCA) for an “unnecessary delays and irregularities in a tender to supply irrigation equipment and execute a number of agricultural projects.
The tender was announced in November, 1996, to which 14 different establishments applied. After the ABB awarding the tender to a French company and its local agent, several other applicants made formal complaints, which were sent to COCA for further investigations.
The COCA report of December, 1997, indicated that, in addition to the long delays, the technical specifications set by the ABB were not sufficient. Several shortcomings in evaluating and analyzing the submitted tenders were also cited by the report. Some proposals were given higher technical marks than they actually deserve.
The special parliamentary committee investigating the case, however, found that the COCA report was rather biased.

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