Was Canada’s $20M armoured vehicle deal caught up in a UN sanctions breach? – National | 24CA News
Federal authorities memos obtained by Global News reveal new particulars in regards to the delayed supply of dozens of armoured automobiles bought to guard Canada’s embassy employees overseas.
The federal authorities advised Global News the delays have been because of provide chain disruptions introduced on by the COVID-19 pandemic, however paperwork counsel the holdup was the results of the automobiles being caught up in an alleged potential breach of United Nations sanctions.
In 2018, the Canadian authorities awarded a $19.9-million contract to U.S.-based army provider Jankel Tactical Systems to armour 76 Toyota Land Cruisers.
Once manufactured, the automobiles have been to be positioned in storage, pending cargo to Canada’s diplomatic missions in hotspots world wide, together with Kyiv in Ukraine, Abuja in Nigeria, and Port-au-Prince in Haiti, amongst others.
Canada’s former ambassador to Haiti, Gilles Rivard, says with out armoured automobiles, diplomats in harmful locations can’t do their jobs.
“Armoured vehicles in many countries are essential to preserve the life of people, because you never know what’s going to happen,” Rivard advised Global News.
But for almost a 12 months, Canada had no entry to dozens of automobiles in its new fleet.
Canada signed the armoured car cope with Jankel, which then subcontracted the storage of the Toyota Land Cruisers to a Jordanian firm known as Jordan Light Vehicle Manufacturing (JLVM).
According to authorities memos obtained by Global News, Jankel knowledgeable the federal government on April 27, 2022, that it might be “severing ties” with the sub-contractor “due to JLVM’s possible breach of UN sanctions.”
A United Nations panel claims it has documented a number of situations of automobiles manufactured by JLVM’s father or mother firm — the Jordan Design & Development Bureau (JODDB), beforehand often called the KADDB — in use by the Haftar Armed Forces in Libya, allegedly in violation of a UN arms embargo.
The panel has not been in a position to decide how these automobiles allegedly ended up in Libya and within the fingers of an embargoed group.
A United Nations professional panel stated the availability of armoured automobiles manufactured by Jordan’s King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau to the Libyan National Army violated a UN arms embargo.
YouTube: LNA Media Office
Global News has discovered that after the connection between Jankel and JLVM went south, the Jordanian subcontractor held dozens of Canada’s automobiles in a storage facility in Amman, refusing to launch them.
A complete of 54 automobiles have been initially seized, in keeping with a authorities memo.
“It became imperative that Global Affairs Canada relocate these vehicles immediately,” the doc reads.
The automobiles didn’t come low cost, both. According to a authorities memo, Canada had paid greater than $13 million for the handfuls of automobiles that have been seized — greater than $240,000 apiece.
It took almost a 12 months for Canada to regain entry to dozens of armoured automobiles that had been seized by JLVM, a subcontractor concerned within the deal.
YouTube: JODDB Jordan
The federal authorities appeared to have little leverage to get the automobiles, because it had already paid many of the invoice upfront, in accordance with the phrases of the contract.
Alan Williams, a former assistant deputy minister of materiel with the Department of National Defence, stated the contract ought to have withheld extra of the cost till the automobiles have been delivered to their ultimate locations.
Otherwise, there was no incentive for the corporate to ship on time.
“No one should be paying 90 per cent in advance,” Williams stated. “That should never be the case.”
The Jordan Design & Development Bureau, JLVM’s father or mother firm, refused to reply Global News’ questions on whether or not it breached UN sanctions, nor wouldn’t it touch upon JLVM’s alleged seizure of the armoured automobiles.
“We don’t have the needed information to share as there are [sic] no current partnership between JLVM and Jankel Group Limited,” JODDB contract specialist Hisham Alrawashdeh stated in a press release.
Jankel chairman Andrew Jankel advised Global News that his firm has “a good working relationship with JLVM,” however wouldn’t remark additional, citing “various client confidentiality reasons.”
“We are very proud of our relationships with our customers, partners and suppliers,” he added.
Global Affairs Canada refused to reply questions in regards to the alleged violations of UN sanctions and stated the supply dates have been adjusted “due to supply chain delays and microchip shortages.”
“The vendor met the terms of the agreement at the time the contract was awarded,” stated Global Affairs spokesperson James Emmanuel Wanki. “We cannot speak to the transactions between Jankel and other parties.”
Global News has discovered that the armoured automobiles held by JLVM have been lastly launched to Global Affairs in May 2023 — roughly a 12 months after they have been first seized.
Ottawa now expects the automobiles can be delivered to diplomatic missions over the following two years.
Still, Williams warns that authorities procurement in Canada is in chaos and advised that this contract is yet one more instance of what he calls a “lack of accountability.”
“If you’re messing around and misapplying a contract of $20 million, what about all the others?” he stated.
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
