Award winning Wellington exporter accused of corruption in Sudan

An award winning exporter has been accused of trying to corruptly win a United Nations contract.

The National Business Review said today that Radiola Aerospace violated UN rules when it manipulated a contract to install runway lights at an airport in southern Sudan.

The Wellington-based exporter has received government grants and won praise for its aviation contracting around the world.

It recently won a three-year contract with the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority covering more than 290 airfields.

The NBR said a UN investigation found Radiola drafted its own contract and simultaneously offered to sponsor a New Zealand visa application for a UN official's wife.

The paper quoted a UN official as saying the action could have been a criminal case.

Radiola's managing director Brent Albiston told NZPA that it was true the company had been suspended from the UN's procurement companies register for a time.

"We were suspended while the UN was conducting its investigations and we can confirm we have since been reinstated and are now an approved supplied," Mr Albiston said.

He refused to talk about what was investigated, the outcome of the investigation or the company's version of events.

Mr Albiston was reluctant to talk about what happened just saying - "There was no bribe ... no money passed hands."

NBR said Radiola was awarded $268,000 in market development grants by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise since 2005 and had been praised by former economic development minister Trevor Mallard.

Mr Mallard told the newspaper that he had no involvement in the approval of grants and had no knowledge of the UN investigation.

Mr Albiston told NZPA that the NBR article was an unfair attack on the minister and the Government.

Radiola has provided flight inspection and validation services in more than 20 countries in the last two years.

It also supplied and operates the real-time passenger information system for Environment Waikato's Hamilton bus network.

The company won the Export New Zealand Emerging Exporter of the Year Award in 2006.

- NZPA