7 Turkish companies participated in the tender for Corridor 8 and one of them made an attempt to bribe the Prime Minister of North Macedonia, Hristiyan Mitskoski, in connection with the tender procedure, reported the MKD.
Following accusations of bribery, the Macedonian Ministry of Transport and the state-owned company Macedonian Railways withdrew their assessment teams for the railway project in Bulgaria.
According to Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Alexander Nikolski, the government in Skopje is not giving up on Corridor 8, but the plans for the project will be reviewed and a real solution will be sought together with the EU and Bulgaria.
The transport minister claims that no company from EU member states has applied for the tender.
"Seven companies applied, but none of them were from reputable EU member states. Some tried to bribe me and other officials. Due to these issues and the compromised project, we have decided to withdraw the assessment teams. This action underscores our commitment to the integrity of the project," Nikoloski said. | BGNES
