Tocumen S.A.´s general manager, Joseph Fidanque, admitted yesterday on television that part of the direct purchases of this State-owned company are made from at least two companies in which he is an investor.
The public servant himself said yesterday that "it may be" that there exists a conflict of interests, but that his purchasing staff does not know that he holds shares in companies such as Cochez y Cía S.A. and Geo. F. Novey, Inc. S.A.
"These are large companies where I am an investor, and Cochez is the main supplier of cement in Panama," said Fidanque, trying to justify the long list of direct purchases under his administration.
Fidanque also confirmed that he is a partner of businessman Guillermo Henne Motta, who through the Panama Waste Management company he has received at least four direct contracts in his administration in Tocumen S.A.
Fidanque appears as a director of companies Cochez y Cía S.A. and Geo F Novey, Inc. S.A., in accordance with the Public Registry of Panama. These two companies received 27 direct and fractionated purchases since Fidanque took office of Tocumen S.A.
In both Cochez y Cía S.A. and Geo F Novey, Inc. S.A., Fidanque shares the post of director partner with Guillermo Henne Motta.
Panama Waste Management has received four direct contracts during 2015 for the collection of local garbage from Tocumen airport, two of them on the same day, April 17, for 102 thousand 417 dollars and 136 thousand 161 dollars. On June 11, 2015, Fidanque hired once again Panama Waste Management for 102 thousand 417 dollars for the same services. A month later, on July 24, Fidanque´s partner´s company received another direct contract for the same amount, 102 thousand 417 dollars. In total, the four direct contracts with Panama Waste Management totaled 443 thousand 412 dollars between April and July 2015.
"Direct purchases will carry on", said Fidanque yesterday claiming that publications which criticized his direct purchases are just "political attacks" against the "Zero Circle" from the previous Government.
The general manager of Tocumen S.A. said he is not aware whether the recurrence of direct purchases from a specified company on the same day or month could be construed as a split-contract situation. He said that it is only about the need to make purchases that come on suddenly at the airport that must be made so as to ensure the continuity of operations.
The case involving the company Intelisis was also acknowledged yesterday by Fidanque. It is a company that by 2015 received four direct contracts at Tocumen S.A. for a total of 164 thousand 528 dollars, two of them in March 2015, and the other two in June 2015.
However, Intelisis is a tenant of Fidanque Plaza on Via Porras; i.e., a private client of Fidanque.
In regards to this case, the Manager of Tocumen said that it is purely about a business relationship that dates back for two years before he took office trying to justify the new contracts with this company under his administration.
On the other hand, Fidanque referred to the contract for 179 thousand dollars for the digital voice recognition recorders inside the airport, saying that they are necessary for delivering emergency alerts when needed in the terminal. About the cost, it said she had no details at the time.
Rental of trucks
Parties, trips, gifts and cars are part of the eccentric high expenses that are incurred by the State company Tocumen S.A., under Fidanque III.
Everything in the list of 20 million dollars in direct purchases that have been awarded by this State since Fidanque III assumed its management, who took office some weeks after Varela took charge.
Security teams at Tocumen S.A.: three companies´ business
Tocumen S.A.´s general manager, Joseph Fidanque III, carried out the purchase of security equipment for the Panama international airport from three companies, which he hired in a direct and fractionated manner, which is a form of administrative irregularity based on what the current public procurement law 22 sets out.
To date, Fidanque has awarded 24 direct contracts to Servicios Tácticos de Seguridad S.A., Federal Security Services S.A. Fire and Rescue Equipment Corp., according to a report of direct purchases of Tocumen S.A. in the administration of Juan Carlos Varela.
By 2015, the company Fire and Rescue Equipment Corp. was hired six times for a total of 228 thousand 577 dollars for the provision of safety equipment in the area of fire control. One of the contracts included the purchase of chemical powder to reload and maintain the minimum values required by the OACI for airports such as Tocumen S.A., among them 2,000 pounds of chemical purple powder.
Meanwhile, the Federal Security Services S.A. company was contracted directly nine times by Fidanque for the supply of equipment for more than 110 thousand dollars. One of the purchases included 5 dimmers for the runways for 20 thousand 758 dollars.
Meanwhile, the company Servicios Tácticos de Seguridad S.A. was found to have been granted with nine direct purchases at Tocumen S.A., for 404 thousand 280 dollars.
