The alleged network of officials at the Ministry of Education (Meduca) controlling the bidding process and purchase this entity remains active, although their leaders have already dismissed last week, which will have to be considered in the audit ordered by the Comptroller General of the Republic.
Among those dismissed in Meduca last week, are Ivanessa Mojica Gonzalez, managing director; Próspero Carrion, head of purchasing; members of the National Curriculum Directorate, between another group of officials involved in procurement processes of the organization.
Education Minister, Marcela Paredes, also confirmed the resignation of the head of the Legal Department Meduca, Luis Cedeno Merel.
However, a complaint to the National Authority of Transparency and Access to Information (Antai) reveals new details of the operation of this network and notes that other officials who participated in it are still working in the company.
The complaint says the director of Art and Culture Meduca, José Matías Muñoz, who was controlling the tendering process of musical instruments that tried to buy in 2015, an act that was declared flawed by the Court of Public Procurement.
Despite this, the Meduca diverted purchases on National Assistance Program (PAN), an organization that hired the company that had been disqualified in the initial bidding: Productos Superiores S.A.
The complaint filed with the Antai details that the statement of objections to the tender of musical instruments was made by Ivanessa Mojica and Director of Art and Culture, supposedly for Productos Superiores SA, due to the required specifications related to their brand.
According to the Minister of Education, layoffs occurred last week, after performing "balance" which found repeated errors in the evaluation reports of bids and on the information up to PanamáCompra website and multiple rectifications of the General Comptroller against acts Meduca purchase.
The network would also have helped companies that participated in acts without irreparable bidding documents, contracts were awarded.
This is the case of Consorcio Escuela Don Bosco, which the February 6, 2015 was assigned a contract for $7.3 million, although the report of the evaluation commission warned that the technical building and civil engineer assigned to the company's work showed no copy of the decision of the Technical Board of Engineering and Architecture.
Claves
- La Contraloría General designó a cuatro funcionarios para la auditoría que se realiza en el Ministerio de Educación.
- La auditoría se realizará en el despacho de la Dirección Administrativa; los departamentos de Compras, Almacén y de Bienes Patrimoniales; y en la Dirección Nacional de Currículum y Tecnología Educativa.
- Por su parte, el Ministerio Público instruyó a la Fiscalía Anticorrupción para que se encargue de realizar las averiguaciones pertinentes en torno a los hechos irregulares detectados en estas divisiones del Meduca.
