Serious deficiencies in the City of Bern's procurement (Swiss Press Text 2013, by Christoph Lenz) - Swiss Press Award

Der Bund

Christoph Lenz

In 2011, the City of Bern awarded one of its largest security contracts (CHF 420,000) to SAS Security AG. In January 2012, while researching Dominique Aeby, the entrepreneur behind SAS, I came across a long list of bankruptcies and millions in losses to private and public creditors. In May 2012, the public prosecutor's office confirmed for the first time that it was investigating Aeby – for charges including fraud and forgery. The proceedings have been going on for several years, and charges are expected to be filed in early 2013. In June, the story took another twist: My research revealed that the sister of the SAS managing director, of all people, was responsible for monitoring SAS contracts for the City of Bern. She had inherited the job from her brother – he had left the city administration and joined SAS after having been responsible for SAS monitoring for a long time. In the following weeks, I uncovered further enmeshment within the City of Bern. My research led to an independent investigation that largely supported my findings. Since then, the administration has initiated a number of measures designed to increase transparency and reduce the risk of errors in procurement.