Motorcare denies supplying sub-standard vehicles for CHOGM

Jun 18, 2008

NISSAN Motorcare has refuted reports that vehicles supplied for the Commonwealth meeting (CHOGM) last November were sub-standard, saying the company offered the best deal to the delegates.

By Vision Reporter

NISSAN Motorcare has refuted reports that vehicles supplied for the Commonwealth meeting (CHOGM) last November were sub-standard, saying the company offered the best deal to the delegates.

The Auditor General in his April special audit report into the CHOGM expenditure had noted that: “The procurement for the lease and purchase of 240 official limousines for CHOGM had several significant irregularities, including failure to deliver as per agreed specifications.”

The report added: ‘The government had ordered automatic and petrol cars, but the supplier, Motorcare, supplied a mixture of manual and automatic cars, as well as diesel and petrol vehicles.’

The report also said the BMWs did not have the manufacturer’s model badges.
In a statement, Motorcare said the BMW VIP security section had advised that the model badges be taken off to conceal information about the vehicle’s capabilities, which was a standard security procedure.

“The BMW 5 series and BMW X3 that were imported are authentic, top of the line BMWs. They were all manufactured between July and September 2007 at BMW’s European Union plants. Due to time constraints, the cars were airlifted directly from Europe to Entebbe.”

The statement further said the BMW 5 series model, which were reserved for transportation of presidents, were upgraded with a security feature called run-flat tyres, which is commonly known as get-away tyres, instead of the conventional tyres at no cost. The upgrade made it possible for the vehicle to travel 250km per hour in case of a puncture or any other mechanical emergency.

Motorcare said it was cooperating with relevant authorities like the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) to answer any queries that may have arisen.

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