Etchelecu had violated procurement law

Irregularities in the Ministry of Housing and Land Management (Miviot) is not only limited to purchases deviated on the National Assistance Program (PAN), but also the tender procedures managed by the Public Procurement Law 22, specifically in a contract of $13.8 million awarded in March 2015.

It is a new scandal that links the holder of Miviot, Mario Etchelecu in awarding this million dollar contract, even though there was a warning of the Evaluation Commission of such tender which realized that one of the five bidders and winner  "did not meet the mandatory requirements of the statement of objections to all bidders, therefore, its proposal should not be considered or evaluated, so it is up to this recognition, corrective and modification.

" This is indicated in the Evaluation Commission decreed that the March 11, 2015 the tender number 2014-0-14-0-03-LV-007 723, which established the supply of materials and construction of houses for the project Arco Villas Iris in Columbus.

It is the company Riba SA Industrial Commercial Real Estate Finance and Agriculture (SAIICFA). The report states that Riba Sociedad Anónima Inmobiliaria Industrial Comercial Financiera Agropecuaria (SAIICFA) was submitted to the tender bail on behalf of a different company name and additionally did not provide the requested work schedule in Chapter II of the statement of charges, that immediately disqualified to continue being considered.

Even the Evaluation Commission, composed of Obaldía Maswell, Carlos Franco and Andres Quijano, recommended allocating the public event the Consortium M&E; However, the minister of Housing, Mario Etchelecu, intervened in the tender, eight days later, and ignored the report of the Evaluation Commission, which, according to experts in procurement, would be a violation of Law 22 June 2006.

Lawyer like Ernesto Cedeño and Victor Almengor agree that the Public Ministry, from this moment, should initiate an official investigation to publications in the media arising from irregularities in the tender acts of Miviot.

However, this new scandal to which he had access, it was discovered that the March 19, 2015, signed Etchelecu Resolution 140-15, in which the tender is awarded for best value to the company Riba Sociedad Anónima Inmobiliaria Industrial  Comercial Financiera y Agropecuaria (SAIICFA) in the amount of 13.8 million dollars.

Reactions According to Ernesto Cedeño, it is necessary that the Public Ministry investigate to determine whether this constitutes the existence of a type of offense against public administration. Meanwhile, Almengor is the idea that the same facts that currently are reported in the media, there are former government officials arrested.

Defense

Mario Etchelecu minister has denied the allegations to the point that today announced that the Public Ministry will be available to the investigation against him for purchases handled by the PAN. .

Etchelecu said it is just attacks to the Ceilings of Hope program and he could answer any questions, but what has never answered is why the purchases were awarded to a select group of companies linked to him and President Juan Carlos Varela, specifically Airco SA, Royal Construction, Auto Partes  La Competincia, Transisa, American Colors, and TLK Import & Export y Productos Superiores.

Airco S.A. its owned by Pedro Vallarino Trombetta, a personal friend of President Varela, in addition to being named director of the Caja de Ahorros (state bank) until July 2015, when he resigned.

Etchelecu has also revealed the list of companies that were awarded tenders for 1,340 million dollars. The National Assembly approved to call Etchelecu to answer for their hiring, but officials say Etchelecu is preparing a report to dodge the issue, saying that everything has bought at lower prices than past administrations.

Etchelecu has also received complaints from two economic groups in the country: the construction platform manufacturers and distributors of heavy machinery.

Distribution companies of heavy machinery and equipment, which include Cardoze & Lindo, F. Icaza, Copama, Group Tiesa, Comercial de Motores and others, warned about favoritism in government purchases to Fiorazio and Airco.

Only in 2015, the PAN 20 contracts awarded by invitation Airco for the supply of machinery, tools and building materials led to the ceilings of Hope program. Platform manufacturers claim favoritism in favor of Royal Construction.

This company, Royal Construction, was benefited from contracts worth 10 million dollars on a year, according to the report prepared by the PAN.

The director of the Antai, Angelica Maytín, in an audit, managed to confirm that divided for direct procurement purchases were given, not only in 2014 but in 2015 the situation continued.

This contradicts the Government's argument that during the past year contracts were not direct .

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Los antecedentes de una empresa controversial por sus contrataciones públicas con el Estado

El nombre de Airco S.A. no es nuevo en cuanto a escándalos en materia de contrataciones públicas en proyecto con el Gobierno.

Durante el año 2002, cuando el Gobierno era dirigido por el Partido Panameñista, durante la presidencia de Mireya Moscoso, esta empresa había sido señalada por supuestos abultamientos de precios en contratos por los trabajos de construcción en el aeropuerto de Albrook.

Dos meses después, en el mes de agosto del 2002 para precisar, Airco había recibido otra denuncia por haber ganado una licitación sin contar con los requisitos de especialización técnica para poder realizar los trabajos.

Se trató de una licitación para dar servicio de telecomunicaciones al aeropuerto de Howard.

La desaparecida Autoridad de la Región Interoceánica (ARI) había concluido otorgarle la licitación a Airco por considerar que presentó la propuesta económica más ventajosa para el Estado.

En ese momento, representantes de las empresas que perdieron la licitación habrían denunciado que Airco pudo haber presentado información falsa para lograr dicha licitación a un costo de 1.2 millones de dólares, aproximadamente.

Otra de las irregularidades que notaron los competidores contra Airco fue que presentaron dentro de su planilla a personal técnico que trabajaba en instituciones del Estado.

Cifras

$13.8 millones, suma con la que favoreció el ministro a una empresa que no cumplió con los requisitos.

20 son los contratos con los que se ha beneficiado Airco en la administración de Etchelecu.

Datos

$20 millones, monto de la licitación que suspendió Etchelecu ante las protestas.

$1.1 millones en compras de plataformas de construcción en el 2015 a través del PAN.