Romania obliged to pay EUR 18 mln to Italian constructor

Romania’s National Roads Company (CNAIR) may have to pay RON 83 million (EUR 18.2 million) to the Italian constructor Salini Impregilo, which built the segment 3 of the Sibiu-Orastie in Romania, reports local Economica.net. A portion of this highway segment, located between the villages of Saliste and Cunta had been closed one year after the inauguration and partially demolished due to structural problems. CNAIR repaired the damaged highway portion itself. The state company blamed the Italian constructor for the problems accusing it of using poor quality materials. The segment between Saliste and Cunta was reopened on October 10, 2016, after the state roads company repaired it. The money to restore the highway segment came from the constructor's performance bonds worth RON 60.48 million (EUR 13.3 million). In September 2015, Salini Impregilo started a dispute against CNAIR asking for damages of RON 90 million for this contract. The International Arbitration Court in Paris decided to award the Italian group RON 83 million worth of compensation. The decision is an intermediary one and it can be appealed, according to a legal adviser of the National Roads Company. CNAIR representatives yesterday said that they would attack the decision. editor@romania-insider.com