ARTI-Italy responds to the recent fraud case where a businessman was apprehended for his involvement in a fraudulent operation supplying counterfeit toner cartridges to government agencies.
ARTI-Italy, the trade association, has responded to the news of an Italian businessman who was apprehended for his involvement in a fraudulent operation supplying counterfeit toner cartridges to government agencies, specifically to the Carabinieri (the national police of Italy) and Moscati Hospital. You can read the original news story here.
The individual, a 44-year-old man named Carmine Aversano, is accused of several criminal activities, including being part of a criminal association, auction tampering, fraud in public supplies, and counterfeiting. The investigation, conducted by the Turin Prosecutor’s Office, has also implicated six other individuals.
The statement from ARTI-Italy sheds light on the repercussions of fraudulent practices in public tender processes in Italy. The company in question has secured numerous public tenders with Italian government agencies for over a decade, compromising the principles of free and fair trade.
ARTI-Italy underscores the negative impact of these dishonest practices, stating: “All of these supplies have damaged free and fair trade by distorting and deceiving government buyers.”
“Members of our ARTI-Italy association regularly participate in public tenders and hardly win them since it is not possible to compete with those who bid so low.” Adding, “There are, unfortunately, too few instances where the quality and match of a truly remanufactured product can be evaluated and verified by public administration buyers in Italy.”
The association highlights the challenges faced by legitimate businesses in competing with those who submit unrealistically low bids, potentially facilitated by a lack of stringent technical controls in the tendering process. The concern extends beyond public institutions to the private sector, where unethical individuals may influence decisions, favouring suppliers without due regard for quality or integrity.
ARTI-Italy said that they remain committed to advocating against such unethical practices and supporting transparency and fairness in public procurement, emphasizing the environmental harm caused by these practices and vow to continue their opposition, with the support of European Associations such as Etira.
Our take on this: Winning industry tenders, like the EU’s TED toner cartridge tender 100002-2024, hinges primarily on price competitiveness. Eligible companies must not be under liquidation due to legal issues or engaged in corrupt procurement practices, labour violations, or financial irregularities like insolvency and tax evasion. They must also avoid anti-competitive conduct, child labour, human trafficking, money laundering, and ties to terrorism. Additionally, they must not have records of contract violations, deceit, or unauthorized access to confidential information. All good stuff.
But when it comes to the environment, the products supplied must be new, conforming to the original manufacturer’s quality and technical standards.
