Rexwell Engineering, the UK company that the Council for the Development of Cambodia said earlier this month was preparing to make a $3.2-billion investment in Cambodia—the largest foreign investment ever—is a mystery, business and government officials said Monday.
Rexwell, which CDC officials said was a consortium of five London-based companies interested in opening a billion-dollar aluminum processing plant, has no presence on the Internet, and Internet searches for the company have drawn a blank.
CDC spokesman Chea Vuthy said earlier this month that Rexwell representatives were exploring possible locations in the coastal provinces of Koh Kong, Kampot and Sihanoukville.
However, Chea Vuthy said on Monday he didn’t know about the progress of the company’s plans.
British Business Association President Senake Fernando said that he had never heard of British aluminum companies seeking to invest here. International Business Club President Bretton Sciaroni also said that he has not heard of the company’s proposal.
Thon Virak, the deputy director of the Foreign Trade Department at the Ministry of Commerce, said that the CDC has mentioned the name Rexwell but he has not received further details.
Ith Praing, secretary of state for the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy said Sunday that he has not received any paperwork on Rexwell.
The governors of Koh Kong and Kampot provinces said Sunday that they had not heard of any proposal to build an aluminum processing plant in their provinces. Sihanoukville Municipal Cabinet Chief Som Sam Ath said he had not heard of the company.
Opposition lawmaker Son Chhay said that the CDC had not properly investigated the company.
(Additional reporting by Van Roeun)
