Bianjie

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Independent report finds that Kibōjūtaku project was overpriced by 27%
After a civil servant within the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation has leaked confidential information to the media, investigative journalists have analysed the leaks, and later released a report on the findings.
11 June 5640



After 22 years of relatively stable and increasing dominant governing, comes a first major hit at the Socialist People's Party-led governments. An anonymous whistleblower from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transportation has leaked confidential information regarding the massive Kibōjūtaku project, which was a government's plan to build up to 75 thousands social housing units. While successful on paper, there were and still remain major concerns about the costs, safety and timing, mostly from the opposition. Whether this or else led to the leak remains unknown, but the journalists of the major national outlets, including Nippō, have received about 150 pages of the confidential ministry documents on the project. After a successfull coordination, major media groups collaborated with the investigative journalists, government watchdogs and financial experts to analyse the leak, and later come up with a report, released this Monday.

The 47-pages-long report talks in detail about the fact that most of the construction and planning has been done using prices 27% higher than the average market one. Also, it was found that up to 7 contracts with the private sector, worth tens of millions of g'an were awarded to the couple selected companies without any proper competative tendering, as required per law, written by BDA government, and later amended by that same of SPP. Moreover, a company named Tatabuild, which has won 3 contracts in Wehealin, is owned by the brother-in-law of the infrastructure minister, Huang Zou. Nippō has asked the minister to comment on that, but didn't receive an answer.

Following the release of the report, opposition has called for Zou and the whole government to resign, and imprison all involed in the "cement laundering scheme", called that by the leader of the opposition, Tabai Wenggot. "Frankly, it is disgusting and insulting for a government to just engage in any kind of money laundering or simple corruption, especially using something so important like social housing. I think this cabinet has lost its mandate, both moral and political", Wenggot said. Another rather surprising criticism came from the junior coalition partner of SPP, New Dawn. Eidu Citela, chairman of the party, has also supported calls for Zou to resign, hinting that if Jalar or the SPP leadership will forcefully push Zou to resign, ND might "reconsider their relationship with the current majority".

Zou himself has been avoiding cameras and journalists, and has been missing from the spotlight ever since the report was released. Premier, on the other hand, was not hiding, though visibly uncomfortable with the situation and the questions about it. "I am yet to fully read the report, but if its contents are indeed true, and those documents were in the MIT, with all the real prices and so on, I will see what can be done about it, but so far, I am sceptical", Premier Jalar told journalists yesterday. With the most recent poll, released just yesterday, it seems the scandal might become the first ever challenge for the SPP, if not the start of its demise.



The Daily Report (日報), also known as Nippō, is a major daily newspaper based in Namušun, Bianjie.
The paper is published in both official languages in the broadsheet format, and is also available online in other international languages.