An internal investigation has uncovered violations in the Ministry of Agriculture’s (ZM) electric vehicle charging network procurement.
The review was conducted in response to findings from the State Audit Office’s report, “Is the Ministry of Agriculture justified in establishing its own EV charging network?” The investigation aimed to determine whether any ministry officials had committed offenses and whether they should be held disciplinarily accountable, the ministry explained.
The Ministry reported that the procurement committee overseeing the project “Planning, design, installation, and maintenance of the EV charging network” had committed violations.
However, ZM representatives pointed out that disciplinary action can only be initiated if no more than two years have passed since the offense or inaction occurred.
Since the violations were committed more than two years before the State Audit Office’s report, the officials involved in the procurement process cannot be held disciplinarily accountable.
Officials who should have been responsible for overseeing the execution and subsequent control of the general agreement signed after the procurement process had already left the ministry by the time of the investigation. Consequently, under the Civil Service Disciplinary Liability Law, there is no basis for launching disciplinary proceedings.
Additionally, the ministry’s Public Procurement and Administrative Department referent cannot be held disciplinarily accountable under labour law, as more than 12 months have passed since the violation was committed.
The Ministry also stated that in relation to investment projects under the priority measure “Improvement of the Ministry of Agriculture’s sectoral infrastructure and technical support for the ministry’s functions, including investments in land reclamation systems and the Green Deal objectives,” no violations by ministry officials were found, meaning there is no basis for disciplinary action.
Upon reviewing the information gathered during the internal investigation, the committee concluded that the identified violations in the contract execution process were linked to a lack of time, human resources, and relevant specialists required for the project’s implementation.
Additionally, the State Audit Office has forwarded the regulatory violations outlined in its report to the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) and the Prosecutor General’s Office for further evaluation.
Previously, BNN reported that in the audit published on the 18th of July 2024, the State Audit Office concluded that the established EV charging network does not meet the Ministry’s current and future fleet needs. Moreover, the charging stations installed are incompatible with the available technical infrastructure at the selected locations.
The audit revealed that the unplanned 3.1 million euro charging network, financed from the 2022 state budget, is oversized and does not align with the Ministry’s actual and future requirements. While the State Audit Office acknowledges ZM’s intention to support the Green Deal, the findings suggest that in this case, the Green Deal was used as a cover for unjustified and wasteful spending of state funds.
The ZM EV charging network consists of 52 charging stations at 42 locations, but an inappropriate technical solution was chosen for its implementation.
The audit also found that the procurement committee’s decision to install only high-power charging stations (above 22 kW) contradicts national policy planning documents and industry best practices.
Following the completion of its internal investigation, KNAB has initiated criminal proceedings regarding possible legal violations related to the Ministry of Agriculture’s EV charging network project.