29 January 2022

COVID HOSPITAL IN THE FIERA: We confidently and openly cooperate with authorities

Following the news of alleged irregularities on contracts related to the pandemic emergency in Apulia, authorities are also investigating the construction of the Covid hospital inside the Fiera del Levante.

In this phase, judicial authorities can and must employ every procedure in the interest of the community, and our company intends to fully cooperate, with the confidence of its constant compliance with the law in all circumstances.

Like all companies involved in the handling of the emergency, we are aware of our moral duty to answer for our actions, and we are confident that we will prove  that no inappropriate conduct or wrongdoing was committed by Cobar.

Having reiterated our core idea and principle, we would like to provide clarifications on two elements that show signs of a lack of clarity.

The Covid Hospital in the Fiera was built in a very short time (a little over a month and a half), which is highly unusual for a project of such size and importance. This urgency was due to the need to intervene promptly, in an effort to help the institutions face the most serious health emergency of the last century.

Two consequent elements stemmed from this swiftness in execution.

The first element consisted in the need to rely on suppliers who could guarantee the most flawless professional conduct from the standpoint of technological capabilities and fastest speed of execution. For this reason, we had already included in our tender specifications, among the various other sub-suppliers, Casaluci srl, which we deemed (and still do to this day) to be the company with the highest level of know-how in the field of hospital wall coverings.

Secondly, it is possible that such a complex and urgent design can undergo updates, modifications and integrations over its course, with a consequent increase in costs. This i a well-known occurrence to anyone who has ever supervised construction work (starting with the renovation of a house or a property).

This was also the case for the construction of the Covid hospital in the Fiera: when work was already underway, the client asked us to provide construction for new surgery rooms, a dialysis ward, a vaccine hub and its administrative offices, electrical systems with a higher power output than originally planned (in order to increase the structure’s safety), more powerful mechanical systems to compensate for the functional obsolescence of the existing pavilions, covered connecting corridors equipped with negative room pressure, thicker flooring to even out any imbalance in the existing flooring, interventions on the roofs, structures and several purpose areas in the existing pavilions. This, and only this, explains the reasons for the increase in costs compared to initial estimates.

We therefore face this investigation with absolute calm and confidence. However, at the same time, we express the desire to defend ourselves from any unfounded and leading narratives that undermine our 40-year reputation, built on perseverance, quiet and hard and work, and an immaculate criminal record. We dutifully remain at the full disposal of judicial authorities, fully trusting that clarity on this matter will be made thoroughly and swiftly, in the name of truth and justice.