Media pressure forced Attorney to open an investigation over the MIVIOT-PAN

Corruption takes the government of Juan Carlos Varela  just one and a half year after it has started. Yesterday Attorney General of the Nation, Kenya Porcell, had no choice but to order the start of an official investigation into the National Assistance Program (PAN) and the Ministry of Housing and Land Management (Miviot) by scandal in direct  hiring and fractionation shopping in the social program of Ceilings of Hope in favor of a group of companies linked to the government figures.

The attorney said theyalso gave instructions to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor to open an investigation into the Ministry of Education, where allegedly operated a network of senior and media officials who  manipulated the tender in favor of a group of companies.

Porcell had remained silent in recent weeks, despite several media, starting with Panama America, published a series of detailed information on the contracts and Miviot PAN, and even after the pronouncement of the anti-corruption czar, Angelica Maytín, in which he argued that a forensic audit led to determine or confirm that purchases Miviot diverted to the PAN itself was split material or fractionation, and a business stood among all purchases: Airco SA, owned by Petter Pedro Vallarino, a personal friend of President Juan Carlos Varela.

In addition, two economic groups in the country, heavy equipment dealers and traders platform construction, had also filed complaints where they said that the Miviot contracting  was not giving them a chance, wherebrought up the names again Airco, Fioriazo Panamá and Royal Construction.

Etchelecu made  PAN's shop both in the last six months of 2014 as in 2015, although in smaller amounts.

A report revealed on the PAN revealed that under the administration of Etchelecu, PAN executed in 2014 about 72 direct purchases and contracts by invitation to default  companies  through the PAN.

One of this companies is Airco S.A, which Etchelecu awarded 11 contracts between October and December 2014, for 1.8 million dollars, according to the report of the PAN.

In the shopping highlights the fractionation or call division of matter. Only 9 December 2014, the Miviot awarded, through its agreement with the PAN, five contracts to Airco S.A for the supply of backhoes, one for $217,010 and another three per $147,569 each.

Panama Fiorazio S.A. Also highlighted in this list Miviot contracts, through the PAN.
 

In a single day, October 31, 2014, Etchelecu awarded five contracts to Fiorazio for $700,839, two of them $233,367 each; one for $155,578 and another of $78,527 for the purchase of eight concrete mixers and a concrete pump.

Another favorite is Transisa, to which the Miviot handed almost the entire supply of sand, stone, gravel and conglomerates for Ceilings of Hope in 19 contracts reported between August and December 2014.

In the same group of favorite companies highlights Royal Construction, which, by the PAN, Etchelecu awarded at least 5 direct purchases by more than a million dollars.

 Internally the Miviot, Etchelecu awarded another long list of abbreviated bidding for contracts totaling $25.5 million alone in building materials for Ceilings of Hope program.

These include the purchase of blocks, PVC panels, doors, pieces of wood, scaffolding, gray cement blocks, strollers, white sand, power accessories, among others.

Between abbreviated  shopping highlight two tenders for PVC panels,which statement of objections would have restricted participation to a single bidder.

The first purchase was 10.8 million for 2,500 kits of PVC panels awarded in January 2015 the company Royal Construction Panama S.A.

On June 25, 2015 the Miviot took out to buy another tender abbreviated PVC panels with the same kind of specifications in the tender office, where  only Royal Construction  was presented.

After the complaint of several companies, Etchelecu stopped the public event by to buy $19.2 million for 5,000 kits of PVC panels, to buy fractionally buy it through the PAN then.

These purchases are recorded in the report of PAN 2015, when Etchelecu repurchased $1.1 million on these platforms to the same company (Royal Construction). He also made three purchases under this same product, one for $90,631 to Formesan Panama, another by $97,836 to Doka and one in $44,940 to Hopsa.

Airco S.A. also highlights in that buy that executed the Miviot in 2015 through the PAN. Only in 2015, the PAN awarded  20 contracts by invitation to Airco for the supply of machinery, tools and building materials led to the Ceilings of Hope program that takes the Miviot.

Etchelecu said yesterday that everything is political attacks to the Cielings of Hope program and he could explain the case anywhere. However, until now the housing minister has not explained how companies like Airco, TLK Import & Export; Transisa; American Colors and Superior Products are constantly repeated in the purchases they make.

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Ordenan investigación en el Ministerio de Educación

La Procuraduría también anunció ayer acciones contra la red del Meduca que supuestamente alteraba licitaciones públicas en favor de empresas.

La información fue confirmada el pasado martes por la ministra de Educación, Marcela Paredes, tras señalar que después de haber realizado “un balance” encontraron reiterados errores en los informes de evaluación de las licitaciones, en la información que se subía al sitio PanamáCompra, y múltiples subsanaciones de parte de la Contraloría contra los actos de compra del Meduca.

Los funcionarios destituidos eran parte del engranaje clave dentro del Meduca que controlaba las compras desde los pliegos de la licitación hasta su adjudicación.

Entre las personas destituidas este lunes está Ivanessa Mojica González, directora administrativa del Meduca; Próspero Carrión, jefe de compras; los integrantes la Dirección Nacional Curricular; entre otro grupo de funcionarios relacionados a los procesos de compra de la entidad.

La ministra Paredes también confirmó la renuncia del jefe del Departamento Legal del Meduca, Luis Cedeño Merel. “Todos los procesos con errores tenían que pasar por él, y ante esa situación evidente de la multiplicidad de fallas, él mismo presentó su renuncia”, dijo Paredes aceptando que todos los funcionarios destituidos el pasado lunes fueron nombrados bajo su administración.

Cifras

20 contratos directos otorgó el Miviot, fueron dados a través del PAN.

11 contratos otorgó Etchelecu entre octubre y diciembre de 2014 por un monto de $1.8 millones.