Report on lawmakers donations under wraps

THE RULERS of the National Assembly (AN) appear to be sitting on the report of a commission that investigated irregularities in donations made by deputies.

Some lawmakers and leaders of organised civil society are demanding that a report of the internal commission that investigated irregularities detected in donations and contracts for professional services granted by the Legislative Body.

The petition arose because several MPs said they had not seen the report, even though it was delivered on April 10 to the then president of the AN, Ruben De Leon.

The internal commission, created on March 9, was chaired by. YanibelÁbrego, recently elected president of the Assembly.

The commission also included  Leandro Avila,

(PRD); and Juan Carlos Arango, of the Popular Party (PP).

It commission was formed based on an investigation by La Prensa, which revealed that

From July 2014 to March 3, 2017, the Assembly disbursed $14 million in subsidies and donations of the deputies, which in most cases did not reach the original beneficiaries, usually people with low economic resources or  living in marginalized areas of the country.

La Prensa also documented that between July 2014 and December 31, 2016 the Assembly allocated $68 million to pay for professional services contracts, which in most cases were not carried out.

The Comptroller General of prdered an audit of

donations and contracts of the AN, which has not been delivered.

The independent deputy, Ana Matilde Gómez, was the first to request the report from the Assembly President on July 11, one day

After Ábrego announced that that the AN  accepted the ruling of the Supreme Court

of March 16, , which declared unconstitutional the decree of the Comptroller that regulated the donations of the AN.

On that day, Ábrego forbade deputies to make more donations.

Gómez praised the announcement of Ábrego, but at the same time asked for the report that, in her opinion, had to be presented by De León before leaving the AN presidency

since “everyone who leaves a position must render accountability.”

La Prensa says it called De León to know why he did not reveal the report, but he did not answer. Since his departure from the presidency of the AN on July 1, he has rarely been seen in the chamber.

“We have no knowledge, and if we are really the collegiate body that many claim we should behave as such, and in order to be able to answer  collectively  one has to be informed, “Gómez said.

Another deputy who said he did not know the content of the report was Miguel Fanovich,

(Molirena). “We only know what the President said, that donations are suspended, ” he said.