On June 25, Farsi Khudabux, chief executive of Surinamese construction firm Baitali NV, announced that the company will not block the implementation of the long-awaited Van ‘t Hogerhuysstraat rehabilitation project, despite losing a summary injunction lawsuit against the Surinamese state. The firm, however, maintains its opposition to what it calls an unjustified disqualification from the public tender for the project, and is currently reviewing potential further legal action against the government.
Khudabux shared his response one day after the state signed a formal contract for the project with Kuldipsingh Infra, the winning bidder selected after Baitali’s disqualification. He pointed out that it was notable for the government to move forward with executing the court ruling within 24 hours of its issuance, a level of speed the government rarely demonstrates for other court decisions that do not align with its priorities.
“It is good that the state follows up on a ruling within one day — we wish they were always this efficient,” Khudabux sardonically noted, adding that the accelerated timeline demonstrates the government’s pattern of prioritizing rulings that benefit its agenda while leaving unfavorable court orders stagnant for extended periods.
Despite this criticism, the Baitali CEO emphasized that the firm respects the court’s ruling and will comply with its requirement to allow work to move forward. “We operate under the rule of law, and we will abide by the court’s decision,” Khudabux said. “But where we disagree with the outcome, we will exhaust every legal recourse available to us to defend our position.”
He clarified that Baitali never sought to derail the rehabilitation project entirely. Months ago, the firm informed the Ministry of Public Works that it had no objection to Kuldipsingh Infra carrying out construction work, as long as existing contractual agreements with Baitali were honored. Khudabux stressed that the company’s fight has never been about claiming the project for itself, but about challenging the validity of its disqualification from the bidding process.
In the recent ruling, the judge did not make any substantive ruling on whether the disqualification itself was legally justified. Instead, the court weighed the public interest of advancing the long-delayed infrastructure project against Baitali’s commercial interests, and ruled to allow work to proceed immediately. The core question of the tender’s fairness has been deferred to a full trial on the merits, if Baitali chooses to move forward with that legal route.
Currently, Baitali is working with its legal advisors to outline next steps. Both an appeal of the summary ruling and a full substantive trial on the tender disqualification remain on the table, according to Khudabux. The CEO acknowledged that the court ruled the judgment immediately enforceable, meaning the government can proceed with construction regardless of whether Baitali files an appeal. Even so, the firm extended a wish of success to Kuldipsingh Infra for the execution of the project.
Khudabux reaffirmed his claim that the international tender process was riddled with irregularities. He highlighted that three out of the five total bidders were disqualified, including two experienced international contracting firms with extensive global infrastructure experience. Adding to the suspicion around the evaluation process, Khudabux noted that Baitali recently qualified for a far larger international infrastructure project overseas, despite being disqualified from this smaller municipal rehabilitation project in Suriname — where the firm has operated as a trusted contractor for decades.
“That discrepancy leads us to believe that something went wrong in the bid evaluation process,” Khudabux said. “That is why we will continue to fight until a court makes a clear ruling on whether our disqualification was justified.” He closed by reiterating the firm’s commitment to the rule of law, confirming Baitali will respect the court’s ruling while pursuing all legal avenues to have its disqualification reviewed.