ABSTRACT
In June 2015, the CEO of Kochi smart city in India suddenly resigned. This came as a shock to many in the sector, given that the inauguration of the first IT building in Kochi smart city was scheduled in July. As stories began to emerge of a three-million-GBP corruption racket run by the CEO, rumours also circulated that he had been removed by TECOM Dubai holdings (the investor) once this was established (Praveen 2015). The corruption was related to the purchase and use of inferior-quality materials at the price of high-spec building materials quoted in the tenders. As TECOM ordered an immediate audit of its finances in Kochi smart city, high-level ministerial committees and the Smart City Council of India rushed to do damage control. An independent audit report thereafter revealed several inconsistencies in the project, finding that the terms and conditions of the smart city and its claims to the provision of jobs had been diluted.
