Controversial Chinese company behind new prison project in Ecuador

Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

The Chinese state-owned company China Road and Bridge Corporation (CRBC) is in charge of constructing a maximum-security prison in Santa Elena, Ecuador, after signing a $52.2 million contract with the Ecuadorian government. This project is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, but it has raised concerns due to the questionable track record of CRBC and its sister company, China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. (CHEC), which include poor quality in their works, delays, human rights violations, and environmental damage in various global projects.

The parent company of both firms, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) was blacklisted by the World Bank for fraudulent practices.

Although the construction of the prison has only just begun, criticism and alarm bells have already surfaced. According to the Ecuadorian news outlet La Fuente, the project has involved the clearing of large areas of forest that are home to ancestral communities. Furthermore, the contract awarding process was not transparent, as there was no open competition with other companies, which has increased suspicions about the legality and ethics of the agreement.

Various social and human rights organizations in Ecuador, such as the Permanent Committee for the Defense of Human Rights and the Coordinating Body of Social Organizations of Guayas, have denounced that the construction of the prison is severely impacting the environment, the habitat of flora and fauna, and threatens pre-Hispanic archaeological sites.

The project has also endangered the economy of local communities, such as Bajada de Chanduy and Juntas del Pacífico, which rely on the forest for their livelihood, prompting them to announce legal actions to halt the project.

The Ecuadorian government defends the project, known as the “Prison of Unity,” as a key measure to combat drug trafficking and crime in the country. However, experts warn about the risks of involving Chinese companies with a negative track record in previous projects, such as the Coca Codo Sinclair dam, which has caused serious structural and environmental issues in Ecuador. The lack of transparency and the potential irreversible consequences of this megaproject continue to be a cause for concern for the local population and the country.

Main source:

Polémica empresa china detrás de nuevo proyecto carcelario en Ecuador – Diálogo Américas.

Other related sources:

Una nueva cárcel de Ecuador se construye en un área de protección ambiental – Infobae.