The Public Ministry (MP) should consider requesting removal from office of Minister Mario Etechelecu and Rafael Stanziola, director of the Social Support (DAS), so that the evidence in the case being investigated by the scandal of the contracts can not transgress direct and fractionation shopping in the social program of Ceilings of Hope on behalf of a group of companies linked to the government figures.
Some legal experts agree that it is an issue in which, in addition to entering at enhancing the separation of officials checked whether any unlawful, must act with objectivity and non-selectivity fall, as did the MP in other cases.
"The MP must be analyzed and, based on evidence, not of separation or ask those officials if they believe there is a degree of concern as to what is reported," said the lawyer Ernesto Cedeño.
"If we see that an unlawful occurred, both the PAN (Stanziola) as the Miviot (Etchelecu) must be separated from office so as not to violate or separate tests, hide or become extinct," said Cedeno.
Stresses that this is something that the institution must assess objectively, "as it has done in previous cases," but what you can not do is strengthen the selectivity. Also coincides with the foregoing, the lawyer Carlos Lee, who said the MP should take appropriate measures to ensure that it will not be tampering with evidence or lost documents.
Besides certified to be a prompt and objective investigation, noted Lee.
Explains that the issue is that as soon as the investigations are initiated without a person reported directly, they (MP) in this first stage will, first, to determine who have some level of responsibility and then take precautions to ensure proper investigation.
"The fact that they have announced that they have begun an official investigation into these cases by the public complaints is positive, but should be given more details of the progress of that inquiry, and if responsibility is detected and how officer," said Lee, member of the Citizens Alliance for Justice.
The MP should act in this case in the same way that has led to investigations of the past administration officials, at least it is expected that not only civil society but political analyst Mario Rognoni.
"Definitely, that's what we all hope. The law is equal for everyone," added Rognoni.
In that sense, Juan Carlos Arauz, vice president of the Bar Association, awaits the investigations are objective and compliance with due process and the guarantees to any citizen who is involved.
He added that after credited the offense, then the institution must act to test if practices are not compromised.
After the MP announced the opening of investigations in the PAN / Miviot case, President Juan Carlos Varela responded saying that that's shows to see democracy working and Etchelecu minister feels that going to work out that investigation, but he should happen that process.
He said he is confident about Etchelecu and, if proven who committed irregularities, be the first to request his resignation, just as happened with Edwin Cardenas, former director of the IMA.
Varela said he was quiet at the prices at which the equipment ceilings Hope, despite acknowledging having received opinions of those companies that competed and lost, were purchased up to those made public by means of a letter, reports of direct purchases.
However, the president sees positive to a subject that was published on August 14, 2014 is now news, "because it means that things walk well."
He also defended the creation of the DAS, which in his view is very different from PAN. "If they want a debate on how the PAN was handled in the previous administration and in the last 18 months, we will debate" he said Varela.
The ruling, in December 2014, requested transparency in tenders being made by the PAN, whose aim, in theory, was the social help.
On that occasion, Varela emphasized: "If you find my government something in the PAN, I will be responsible also the end, the PAN is also part of the Presidency of the Republic.", He told to give a Christmas concert in the Metropolitan Cathedral of San Felipe.
Meanwhile, Carlos Lee said that the facts that have been discovered corroborate that this is an instance that not only should you change the name, but eliminate a structure that is being repeatedly used for acts outside the law.
Likewise, Aurelio Barria, first director of the PAN, said in Telemetro the problem with this institution is that is used as a tool to raise funds for political interests.
"Institutions will have the funds for emergency programs," he said, so he sees no reason for the existence of the DAS.
Cedeño believes that given the complaints, this requires officials to be accountable and to establish an internal control system more effective to detect irregularities immediately. "One of the weaknesses of the current administration," he added.
A system should be strengthened in all institutions for the sake of democracy and public affairs. The investigations being conducted by the MP are given after a series of publications by the detailed information in which 20 direct contracts awarded by Minister Mario Etchelecu through the PAN to buy equipment for the Ceilings of Hope program is revealed.
Of which 11 contracts were for the company Airco SA, Pedro "Peter" Vallarino, friend of President Varela, in the amount of $ 1.8 million.
This newspaper received the information from the PAN and has been confirmed by the director of the National Authority of Transparency and Access to Information, Angelica Maytín, after conducting a forensic audit of the institution.
Cifras
11 contratos directos otorgados por el Miviot a Airco entre octubre y diciembre de 2014.
5 contratos directos también dio el ministerio a Fiorazio Panamá el 31 de diciembre de 2014.
La frase
- El estilo de él (Juan Carlos Varela) no va con los cambios de gabinete. Él se siente cómodo con la gente que lo acompaña. No le veo exigiéndole nada ni reclamando falta de desempeño. Él está cómodo con lo que tiene y es una lástima, porque no es lo que se esperaba. Mario Rognoni - Analista político.
