Gonzalez recommended that the DAS should disappear

Time goes on and new scandals emerge irregularities in hiring through the former National Assistance Program (PAN), current Welfare Administration (DAS), and are more voices that add to demand that President Juan Carlos Varela to close this institution.

The civil society and figures representing state institutions promulgated by the closure of the DAS, former PAN, which in recent days has become a subject of the first pages of newspapers to portray the new scandals this time point officials of this government.

Rigoberto Gonzalez, Prosecutor General, was one of those who favored the president ordered the closure of the DAS.

Gonzalez said that before being Prosecutor General was of the view that this entity remains as at present, to see the recent cases of fractional purchases should be closed. "If anything was wrong and was questioned before, now may not be good because I do," said Rigoberto Gonzalez, recognizing that the issue of the division of matter is still applied in the current administration of the DAS.

Panama America, since last year, has been publishing a series of deliveries of the existence of fractional purchases this government, through the old PAN to favor purchases for ministries of Housing and Health.

According to Gonzalez, there is no valid justification for the division of matter in public procurement argument because there is only one purpose, which is to evade the controls.

He said that's why the question of citizenship, which was made by the previous government and continues to criticize this administration.

Angelica Maytín, director of the National Authority of Transparency and Access to Information (Antai), also reacted and reiterated its recommendation to order the dismissal of Rafael Stanziola, director of the DAS, because there is proof of division of matter on purchases Ceilings of Hope program organized by the Miviot.

Maytín had conducted an audit last year successfully detected, preliminarily, there are signs of division of matter, as it must be corroborated by the Comptroller and confirmed so far is the dismissal of the responsible officials.

Comptroller Federico Humbert, meanwhile, acknowledged that division of matter detected on purchases for the Ceilings of Hope program by PAN.

Therefore, the controller did not endorse the purchase and was the board of PAN insistence that approved it.

The  ex Comptroller Alvin Weeden said the board of the former PAN, now DAS, was irresponsible to insist on the endorsement of the purchase when the comptroller had rejected. However, Alvin Weeden  questioned the attitude of endorsing the contract, arguing that he was not required to sign, despite the insistence of the board of the institution.

 

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Mario Etchelecu comparece hoy ante el pleno de la Asamblea

Mario Etchelecu, ministro de Vivienda, comparecerá hoy jueves 21 de enero ante el pleno de la Asamblea Nacional para responder a los cuestionamientos por las compras fraccionadas a través del PAN para el programa Techos de Esperanza.

Etchelecu se presentará a las 10:00 a.m. ante el pleno de la Asamblea para responder unas 9 preguntas que están encaminadas a cómo se dieron las contrataciones para Techos de Esperanza en el año 2014.

Sin embargo, las preguntas no van dirigidas a las contrataciones del 2015, que a juicio de Etchelecu, se dieron por medio del sistema de compras interno del ministerio de Vivienda y no con el PAN.