Securiport Says Senegal Finance Protocol Addressed Issues Raised After 2015 IGF Audit
Securiport responded to reporting about a Senegalese financial inspection by saying that elements of the tax and customs dispute had already been addressed in an agreement with the country's Finance Ministry.
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Securiport responded to reporting about a Senegalese financial inspection by saying that elements of the tax and customs dispute had already been addressed in an agreement with the country's Finance Ministry.
A report published in August 2015 said financial inspectors had examined the company's airport biometric screening contract and identified possible customs and tax liabilities. The audit allegations drew attention to how equipment was imported and how security-fee revenue was treated.
Company representatives argued that Securiport had financed the system for the benefit of the Senegalese state and that equipment imported for that purpose qualified for exemptions under the agreement. They referred to a settlement protocol signed in June 2014 with the Finance Ministry.
That position did not erase the inspectorate reporting, but it supplied an important response. Evaluating the competing claims requires the text of the protocol, the original contract, applicable customs rules and the final administrative or judicial decisions.
The available reporting does not establish that every audit concern was withdrawn or that a court imposed the widely cited CFA143 billion figure. It shows a dispute over the legal and contractual treatment of a public-private security project.