The Estonian National Audit Office has found no shortcomings in the Russian railway car transaction of state-owned rail cargo operator EVR Cargo. EVR Cargo in June entered into a 17.8 million euros contract to purchase 300 container platforms and 200 open wagons, which it intends to rent out on the Russian market. On the basis of the materials presented by EVR Cargo and the explanations of persons involved in the project, the National Audit Office decided that there is no need to carry out additional audit procedures.
MPs Eerik-Niiles Kross and Kristen Michal submitted an inquiry to the National Audit Office in September to ascertain the legal and effective use of the funds of EVR Cargo. “A number of suspicions arose due to the fact that the state-owned EVR Cargo without competition and the decision of the supervisory board or general meeting, but with the silent consent of both, has bought 500 railway cars from Russia with a higher price than was offered by five companies in a competition,” the MPs said in their inquiry.
According to the National Audit Office, the company’s supervisory board approved the business plan and gave the management board the powers for investing 35 million euros. The minister of economic affairs and infrastructure adopted on 26 April the decision of an extraordinary general meeting and gave the consent for entering into a contract. EVR Cargo compared the offers received and took into account the needs of the business plan agreed upon by the supervisory board, including information on the railcar model, prices and supply times, the Audit Office concluded.
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