Paredes confirmed millionaire losses in purchasing chairs

Amid the scandal which is investigating an alleged network of officials who altered tenders, the Minister of Education, Marcela Paredes, yesterday accepted a millionaire buying school chairs was held in 2015, which, in most cases, are already damaged.

Paredes said that this purchase confronted the Ministry of Education (Meduca) with the Comptroller, at the time, but can not claim responsibility for this problem is all of the officers under his command.

"On the purchase of chairs, I can not quite say that it was the responsibility of those who were in front of the ministry. The biggest purchase of chairs, which was a big controversy with the comptroller were in PanamáCompra catalog. Unfortunately, a bad decision was to maintain the use of chairs catalog and not ask for an exception to go to tender for best quality and price", Paredes said in a television program.

She said that was a decision  took by the administrative direction.

"There are some aspects that still retain the doubt because in the end what the law says is that we must use what is in the catalog and was a bad decision," he added.

On possible corruption network, she said an internal audit has already ordered the Comptroller and another asked.

"Almost all contracts for this ministry had a claim in the Court of Contracting. Shelved, backward and rectifications processes. A human error it can accept twice, then from there you begin to see patterns, here you can see a intent and lack of commitment", said the minister.

She also accepted that almost all officials sacked last week were appointed under management under the filter of their resume and interviews.

"Unfortunately there may be room for people to be swayed by a non decent proposal. I can not prove that in my team was that kind of people, I will do the audits”, said Paredes.

Comptroller Federico Humbert confirmed yesterday that the audit in the Meduca begins this week and that the procedure for the Walls Minister for this research was correct.

According to the Meduca, layoffs occurred last week, after performing "balance" which found repeated errors in the evaluation reports of bids on the information up to the site PanamáCompra and multiple rectifications by the Comptroller against acts Meduca purchase.

Among the destitute people are Ivanessa Mojica Gonzalez, managing director of Meduca; Happy Carrion, head of purchasing, and members of the national leadership curriculum, among another group of officials involved in procurement processes of the organization.

The minister also confirmed the resignation of the head of the legal department of Meduca, Luis Cedeno Merel. "All processes had failed to go through it, and to this obvious situation of multiple failures, he submitted his resignation", Paredes said. 

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Rosario de hechos irregulares que se investigan en el ramo educativo

Entre los contratos que tienen aroma de supuesta corrupción en el Ministerio de Educación (Meduca) se menciona uno en que participó el consorcio Escuela Don Bosco.

La contratación ascendió a 7.3 millones de dólares, a pesar de que el informe de la comisión evaluadora advertía que el técnico de edificación y el ingeniero civil asignados por la empresa a la obra no presentaron copia de la resolución de la Junta Técnica de Ingeniería y Arquitectura.

Otro de los puntos tratados en la denuncia fue la licitación de instrumentos musicales del 27 de mayo de 2015, caso que llegó hasta el Tribunal de Contrataciones Públicas, el cual emitió un fallo que declaró "viciado el acto de licitación desde la creación del pliego de cargos y términos".

Por este caso se menciona a José Matías Muñoz, director del Centro de Arte y Cultura del Meduca, quien actualmente se mantiene en el cargo, a pesar de los despidos ocurridos en la cartera por esta serie de actos irregulares que se investigan.