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TNK-BP declares war on bribe taking

The disqualification of BSSG is the first and the only case so far

MOSCOW, September 15 (Itar-Tass) — TNK-BP is going to break relations with the suppliers, who won contracts with the help of corruption, Vedomosti writes. There is a company, which has already lost contracts to the sum of 600 million dollars, and 13 staff members of TNK-BP, who helped it, including top-rank managers, were sacked.

TNK-BP exposed corruption schemes with the participation Belsibservicegarant (BSSG), its major contractor, and now is breaking contracts with it, Hermann Khan, TNK-BP managing director, said on Thursday. In 2010 the companies, affiliated with BSSG, won some 30 tenders held by TNK-BP, whose total value was 215 million dollars. An overall value of contracts won by BSSG and its subsidiaries is 600 million dollars a year, Khan said. Services were provided in 12 sectors, including drilling, IT, transportation and the maintenance of equipment.

“Rumours were spread that the BSSG management maintained contacts with the TNK-BP management and personally with me,” Khan said with indignation. As a result of it, BSSG got better access to information, than other participants in tenders, and created an illusion of competition by promoting the participation of its affiliated companies in the tenders.

The investigation of the BSSG case is over: it has been disqualified, and the parties agreed on the time limits and terms of the breaking of contracts.

The disqualification of BSSG is the first and the only case so far, The Vedomosti writes. Within a month TNK-BP will complete the check-up of all the major counteragents. Aside from it, it is checking complaints of the companies, which lost tenders. 48 such complains have been examined already, and half of them were found well-grounded. Several cases were established, when contractors tried to deceive the TNK-BP management. “All those companies will be subjected to disqualification,” Khan said.

Last year TNK-BP introduced “a new philosophy of contracting.” The war on swindling and corruption schemes is only part of it, said its representative. The key task of the programme is to improve the efficiency of the company and to reduce expenditures.

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