Fidanque III: from millionaire businessman to public server

Copa Airlines, Indesa, Cochez and Cia S.A., Geo f Novey, Inc., Fidanque brothers e Hijos S.A., Panama Mobilphone, Star Contact, Multiholding Corporation, Columbus Import & Export and Felix B. Maduro are some of the companies in which Joseph Fidanque III has had and maintained investment.
 
It is all about some cases of large local companies whose turnover is millionaire, as it is the case of Copa Airlines and Cochez y Cia S.A.
 
But in July 2014, Fidanque turned the rudder around to its business to become a public servant. Fidanque is currently the general manager of Tocumen S.A. State-owned company that manages the airports in the country, earning a wage of 10 thousand dollars a month, a figure much lower than what he earns in his private life.
 
But the business behind the charge could explain his detachment to go for a public office. Since Fidanque came into office, many of the decisions taken have benefited companies to which he is and was linked. Moreover, his family businesses have been benefited with contracts in other entities of the Government, according to official documentation.
 
Political influences
 
Political sources say that Fidanque III came to the position of Manager of Tocumen S.A. due to the influences of businessman Stanley Motta, main donor of the electoral campaign of the now-President of the Republic, Juan Carlos Varela. For this position, Fidanque had to quit his director position he held in Copa Airlines, the main user of Tocumen S.A.
 
One of the first tasks of Fidanque was halting the construction of the South terminal of Tocumen Airport to suit the needs of Copa, since it had been conceived only for intercontinental flights as is the case in airports of major cities.
 
Fidanque has also favored other companies linked to Motta as insurance company Assa, which Tocumen S.A. awarded in January 2015 with the contract for personal liability, terrorism insurance and workers´ untrustworthiness for 1 million 945 thousand 753 dollars.
 
Last Wednesday, in a television interview, Fidanque also came to recognize that he is a director and investor in Cochez y Cía S.A. and Geo f Novey, Inc., after a report revealed that these two companies are providers of Tocumen S.A. through direct purchases awarded in his administration. "It may be," was the answer given Fidanque when asked if there was a conflict of interest in this case in which direct contracts are granted to two of his companies.
 
Fidanque also said that his Purchasing Department did not have to know that he had investments in these two companies, Cochez S.A. being the main supplier of cement in Panama.
 
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Fidanque´s partners also benefit from direct contracts at Tocumen S.A.
 
Both in Indesa, Cochez y Cía S.A. and Geo f Novey Inc., Fidanque shares the post of director with his partner Guillermo Henne Motta, who has also been benefited from substantial direct contracts at Tocumen S.A. under this administration with the Panama Waste Management company. It is about four direct contracts during the 2015 for the local waste collection from the airport of Tocumen, two of them on the same day, 17 April, by 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 24 July, Fidanque´s partner´s company received another direct contract for the same amount: 102 thousand 417 dollars. In total, the four direct contracts to Panama Waste Management totaled 443 thousand 412 dollars between April to July 2015.
 
But his public charge, through which he has a direct access to key figures such as the Comptroller Federico Humbert, could also have expedited the deals for his nearest family company, Fidanque Hermanos e Hijos S.A..
 
In December 2015, the Executive Cabinet issued a favoring judgment towards the contract between the National Authority for Government Innovation and Fidanque Hermanos e Hijos S.A. for the provision of internet services to all entities of the State, through the national multi-service network. The Government never revealed the amount of this important contract.
 
In this Government, Fidanque brothers e Hijos S.A. has also received other three contracts with the Tourism Authority of Panama, the National Lottery of Charity and the Ministry of Health.
 
Epasa yesterday sent a questionnaire to Fidanque on the case of direct contracting and his links which he did not respond. Fidanque Morgan Stanley neither referred to his link with Miguel Bacal and an alleged account held in American investment bank Morgan Stanley.
This week, Epasa revealed a long list of direct contracts approved since Fidanque took over as general manager of Tocumen S.A., which exceed $20 million.
 
According to official information, in these direct contracts there could be a serious case of split-contract such as that being investigated in the now nonexistent Program of National Aid (PAN) and Techos de Esperanza (Roofs of Hope), under Minister Mario Etchelecu.
 
State procurement experts say that awarding several direct contracts to a specific company in a day, week or month applies as a split-contract issue or as fractionation of purchase, an administrative offence which must be sanctioned both administratively and criminally.
 
For example, in 2015, Tocumen S.A. contracted directly 29 times the company Rocayol Safety & Industrial Center for 107 thousand 112 dollars, while between July and December 2014 the same was done 10 times for 94 thousand 615 dollars.
 
On the other hand, Fire and Rescue Equipament Corp. received in 2015 other six contracts totaling 228 thousand 577 dollars, two of them in March, two in April and other two in July.
 
Servicios Tácticos de Seguridad obtained other six contracts in 2015 with Tocumen S.A. for 295 thousand 93 dollars, just as another security company, Federal Security Services, received other seven direct contracts for 89 thousand $ 529, all of which had been fractionated dates close to each other.
 
Jellini S.A. is another one of the companies with more direct contracts at Tocumen S.A., 25 of them in 2015 for a total of 122 thousand 997 dollars. Jellini has been mentioned as one of the companies that has received contracts in Meduca amid the scandal of the so-called network of officials who manipulated bids.