"Minsait's proposal was unanimously elected by the Evaluation Commission of the National Electoral Commission of Angola, made up of representatives of all political parties in the country, that is, the same party that announces that it will contest the selection of Minsait chose Minsait's proposal. ", a company source told the Spanish news agency Efe.
"The company has never received administrative or criminal sanctions for reasons related to the provision of its services," added the same source, in response to public accusations made by leaders of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), who claimed that Indra was convicted in Spain for having "fraudulent practices" in the 2012 Angolan elections.
The Angolan press links the accusations made by UNITA and other civic associations with a sanction imposed by the Tax Authority, the Spanish tax authorities, for unjustified costs related to the organization of the 2012 elections, which were detected in a tax inspection of the group, which ended in 2018
"The fine is purely of a fiscal nature, it is not related to fraudulent practices or anything like that, it is just a consequence of not having been able to justify some invoices by providing documentary support", said the source of the Spanish company who spoke to Efe.
UNITA announced last week that it will contest the public tender in which the Spanish company Indra was hired to manage the technological system for the general elections scheduled for August and requested a parliamentary hearing from the electoral commission.
According to the chairman of the parliamentary group of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA, the largest opposition party), Liberty Chiyaka, the contestation of the contest promoted by the National Electoral Commission (CNE) arises because "Indra's conduct has undermined transparency electoral".
"Law No. 41/2020 of 23 December establishes principles and rules that, in our view, were violated in the public tender held by the CNE", said Liberty Chiayaka during a press conference in Luanda on the 16th.
The UNITA politician then said that, under article 9 of the Public Procurement Law, those interested in public procurement procedures cannot engage in, participate in or support corrupt and fraudulent practices, such as the intentional declaration of false facts. ".
For UNITA, Indra, "convicted in Spain of fraudulent practices", will have "intentionally declared false or wrong facts to participate in the competition held by the CNE, aiming to prevent the participation of other interested parties and restrict competition".
The criterion "required by the CNE of experience in supplying and providing goods and services in SADC [Southern African Development Community] countries, for more than 10 years, in addition to being illegal, violates the principle of equality, likewise , contravenes legal principles with regard to competition and the prohibition of practices that restrict competition", he pointed out.
Indra has been challenged by opposition political parties and Angolan civil society for allegedly "biasing the results" of the elections in Angola, held in 2008, 2012 and 2017.
The next general elections in Angola are scheduled for the second half of August 2022 and Indra was the company chosen by the CNE, through a public tender, to provide the technological solution that encompasses the provisional count and the final count of all registered votes. in the general elections.
Indra guaranteed, in a statement sent to Lusa on Monday, that the electoral process in Angola will be conducted "in a professional and transparent manner".
CNE spokesman Lucas Quilundo said in February that the departure of the other competing company, SmartMatic, was due to non-compliance with the rules of the contest and ruled out that Indra's choice compromised the "smoothness" of the electoral process, despite the Angolan opposition challenge the option for allegations of fraud.
Last week, UNITA's parliamentary group presented "political-legislative initiatives within the framework of electoral transparency", guaranteeing "to produce laws, which have to be produced, and to develop with the people actions of supervision and permanent control of the electoral process".
UNITA also reported that, within the framework of the supervisory action, it sent two requests to the President of the National Assembly, namely one for the "immediate constitution of a special commission (if any) to monitor the proper organization of the elections".
A parliamentary hearing of the president and the plenary of the CNE, by one of the specialized committees of the National Assembly, was also requested by the "black rooster" party.
"On this basis, we believe that the National Assembly can and should also play a more interventionist role in monitoring and controlling the process, in the material scope of exercising its powers of control and supervision of the proper execution of the electoral law", he stressed.
UNITA also requested, in parliament, a discussion for 24 February on the strike of higher education teachers, "a relevant and urgent matter", and a discussion for 2 March next on the "unequal treatment" of political parties in the public press.
