The PAN fractionated contracts for the Ministry of Health

The National Assistance Program (PAN) not only fractionated contracts for the Ceilings of Hope program on the Ministry of Housing and Land Management (Miviot), but also applied the same formula of irregular contracts for the Ministry of Health during the administration of Juan Carlos Javier Varela and Minister Javier Terrientes.

PAN report revealed how in one day they invited and directly hired the services of one company by six equal contracts. This was a millionaire contract endorsed by the board of PAN on November 24, 2014, in favor of company Pumper S.A. for the   collection, transport and final disposal of hazardous garbage service at six public hospitals: Nicolas Solano, the National Cancer Institute, San Miguel Arcangel,  24 de diciembre, Santo Tomas and the Children's Hospital.

Each contract was split into $462,240, totaling $ 2.7 million, and were approved in a single day in favor of the company Pumper S.A.

Contracts are identified by numbers of documents and projects that keep continuity, a sign that the fractionation was intentional. (See table).

PAN is shaped by Stanziola and ministers of the Presidency, Public Works, Education, Social Development and President of the National Assembly.

Before this contract, Pumper S.A has been invited by the director of the PAN, Rafael Stanziola, to grant a similar contract without bringing to the board.

On 9 October, a month before the adoption of the six contracts Stanziola awarded directly a contract for $468,660 to the company Pumper S.A. for the service of collection, transport and final disposal of hazardous garbage issued on the Nicolas Solano Hospital La Chorrera.

The report revealed that there were two contracts for the same hospital, one under project number 59687 of October 9 for $468,660 (already paid by the state) and another under number 60220 of November 24, 2014 for $462,240.

Panama America confirmed that the hiring of Pumper S.A. generated a controversy internally in the Comptroller, as happened with the purchase of machinery to the company Airco S.A, case by which the Public Prosecutor has opened a process to manage PAN and Housing Minister Mario Etchelecu.

Last week, the director of the National Authority of Transparency and Access to Information, Angelica Maytín, reported that Stanziola had incurred the division of matter or had done fractionated shopping for Ceilings of Hope  on the Miviot.

Maytín said Etchelecu and Stanziola should be removed from office, and start a criminal investigation against them.

Later, the Comptroller Federico Humbert also confirmed that the PAN had made division of matter in this administration, but came to the defense minister Etchelecu grounds that it had no involvement in the form of recruitment.

He also argued that the machinery for the Ceilings of Hope program occurred within the domestic market prices, but said nothing about the company favoritism Airco S.A, which was invited to award direct contracts for late 2014 and 2015.

Direct purchases of PAN have already generated the rejection of several economic groups that feel excluded from doing business with the State through the PAN, including distributors of machinery and formwork construction.

Even claims directly indicate the names of the companies Airco S.A and Fiorazio .

Both Airco S.A. and now Pumper S.A. are linked to current government figures.

Airco S.A. belongs to Pedro "Peter" Vallarino , a personal friend of President Juan Carlos Varela , while Pumper S.A godparents have two Panameñistas (Varela's party) deputies,  has revealed political sources.

Etchelecu went ahead stating that he has no involvement in the procurement and contracting processes PAN , leaving Stanziola alone.

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Ronier Ortiz: funcionarios podrían haber cometido tres delitos relacionados en contra de la administración pública

El ministro de Vivienda, Mario Etchelecu, y el director del DAS, Rafael Stanziola, podrían enfrentar al menos tres cargos penales.

Así lo señala el abogado y exfuncionario de instrucción Ronier Ortiz, al analizar los efectos que podría conllevar la comisión de los actos de división de materias en las contrataciones públicas.

Ortiz indicó que este acto podría ser considerado como un delito de diferentes formas de peculado, abuso de autoridad y fraude en actos en contratación públicas.

Por ser funcionarios con mando y jurisdicción a nivel nacional, ambos podría ser investigados bajo la figura del Sistema Penal Acusatorio (SPA).

En el caso de los dos funcionarios, la investigación es llevada por la procuradora Kenia Porcell, sin embargo, en el caso de Etchelecu, el tribunal competente sería el pleno de la Corte Suprema de Justicia, explicó la abogada Edna Ramos.

Indicó que el Código Procesal Penal indica que en el caso de Rafael Stanziola, el tribunal que tiene la competencia de llevar el proceso serían los magistrados que componen la Sala Segunda de lo Penal de la Corte Suprema de Justicia.

Entre los magistrados que componen el tribunal competente seleccionan al juez de garantía, quien autorizará las medidas y presidirá las audiencias de control. Sectores aseguran que de considerar que se trató de una falta administrativa se ordenaría el sobreseimiento de los funcionarios.

Datos

2.7 millones de dólares fue el monto total de las seis cuentas fraccionadas.

462,240 dólares fue el monto de cada una de las cuentas que fueron fraccionadas.