Oshidori International Holdings Limited, the parent company of Japanese entity Oshidori International Development which was one of two bidders to miss selection for development of an integrated resort in Nagasaki, has lodged a third “Written Disclosure Request for Official Documents” in relation to the prefecture’s decision.
The latest request, following on from previous requests lodged on 13 of August and 1 September, was issued on 14 September 2021 after Nagasaki Prefecture named Casinos Austria as its preferred partner to develop an IR alongside Huis Ten Bosch in Sasebo City.
Oshidori, which finished second under Nagasaki’s RFP scoring system, and NIKI Chyau Fwu (Parkview) Group which finished third, have both since questioned the selection process, claiming they were asked to withdraw due to undefined probity issues. Oshidori has even described the process as corrupt.
According to information obtained by Inside Asian Gaming, Oshidori’s latest disclosure request calls for Nagasaki Prefecture to provide the scoring of provisional points of first stage participants by each Screening Committee Member under its RFP, scoring of points of second stage participants by each Screening Committee Member and all other materials showing calculation methods of the provisional points, plus points, including any unweighted scores, given by each Screening Committee Member.
It also asks for Nagasaki’s own selection criteria for choosing each member of the Screening Committee, all other materials showing the events and circumstances leading up to the selection of each Screening Committee Member, minutes or records of the proceedings of the Screening Committee, all of the Screening Committee’s handouts or reference materials, and all materials related to exchanges concerning scoring including any instructions given to the Screening Committee Member by Nagasaki prefectural government persons.
Finally, Oshidori asks to be provided with Casinos Austria’s own submission materials as they relate to operational capacity, financial statements, financial capacity, operating structure and more.
Oshidori’s legal counsel told IAG, “The purpose of the series of the requests is to find if the entire selection process was fairly, professionally and ethically conducted.
“Nagasaki Prefecture notified us that they will disclose relevant documents during October in accordance with the local ordinance but we are not sure how much information will be disclosed. We will examine carefully the disclosure documents and take further steps as necessary.”
The company’s previous information requests had included a request on 13 August for “reports [of] the transparency investigation issued by the research firm retained by Nagasaki prefecture” and “contents of advice … given by … advisers of Nagasaki prefecture”, as well as the contents of the “transparency investigation[s]” (a term used in Japan to refer to probity investigations) of Casinos Austria, NIKI and Oshidori themselves.
The 1 September request sought public disclosure of “records (including dates and times, participants and details of discussions)” of “all meetings” and “all dinners” which were held between the dates of 1 January 2016 and 31 August 2021 between Nagasaki prefecture and Casinos Austria and/or their agents and advisors.
Nagasaki and Casinos Austria signed a Basic Agreement for IR development on 30 August.
RelatedPosts
