4A Desalination Group, which is competing in the tender for construction of the Sorek B desalination plant, today petitioned the Jerusalem District Court to disqualify IDE and Hutchison from participation in the tender.

A public committee headed by Ministry of National Infrastructure, Energy, and Water Resources director general Ehud (Udi) Adiri suspected fraud in the operation of the Sorek A desalination plant. IDE and Hutchison were part owners of the plant.

The committee was formed following a report by “Globes” that the proportion of salt in the water supplied by the facility was up to four times as high as the standard in the franchise agreement. The committee, which sent its findings to the police, ratified the allegation in the report that the deviations in the proportion of salt were systematic, and had taken place for years.

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