2023-09-22 18:03:00
These audits were launched in the wake of the compliance review into suspicions of collusion to obtain the contract for the distribution of newspapers. Both for traffic fines and for 679 accounts, the compensation received by bpost might be considered state aid. Clearly, the government would have overpaid bpost. Hence the notion of overcompensation to be reimbursed. For the number plates, “bpost acted correctly in both calls for tender. On the other hand, there was no respect in terms of agreements on quality results,” explained Audrey Hanard.
Will the new boss of bpost Chris Peeters receive as much as at Elia, i.e. 1.35 million euros per year?
“Significant uncertainty”
This means that 75 million euros should leave the company’s coffers and return to those of the Belgian State. To this amount, we must still add an impact of 10 million on the operating profit for the 2023 financial year. Which makes a total of 85 million. These 10 million take into account the revision of the prices of the services provided in 2023. “This figure remains preliminary because it does not yet reflect the point of view of the Belgian State,” underlines the press release.
“Uncertainty remains significant,” insisted interim CEO Philippe Dantienne. Discussions with utilities to agree on the amounts to be reimbursed might still take months. In the two cases where there was state aid, the European Commission will also have to rule. So much so that according to Philippe Dantienne, it is “highly unlikely that reimbursements will be completed once more this year”.
It also remains to be seen what the investigations will yield, in particular by the Belgian Competition Authority, into the alleged irregularities in the award of the newspaper and magazine distribution contract. The public company is suspected of having agreed with the publishers of Flemish newspapers (DPG and Mediahuis) and the distributor PPP to obtain this contract which is the subject of a subsidy from the Belgian state of around 150 million euros per year.
Bpost paid millions of euros to McKinsey without a call for tenders
We will have to see what the stock market’s reaction will be on Monday to the announcements made this Friday. The task promises to be delicate to say the least for the future new CEO Chris Peeters, who will take office around the beginning of November.
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