Presidents secretaries under spotlight

The Attorney General’s Office has opened a file following a complaint that alerts officials of this administration ‘have set up a structure’ to benefit from contracts with the government ‘using their influence and charges’.

La Estrella corroborated that the agency is already carrying out measures aimed at confirming or denying crimes of money laundering, influence peddling, corruption of officials and illicit association to commit a crime stated in the complaint.

The complaint was filed by Luis Alberto Levin Montero, at the end of June, and establishes that Raúl Sandoval, private secretary of the President, Juan Carlos Varela, has been assembling a structure of officials with much political power and economic ‘who seek benefits from State contracts.

In the document, which had access to this medium, it is noted that behind the activities of relatives and close friends has been structured a group of companies where you could be introducing the money product of public contracts.

“We ask the Public Ministry to investigate the final beneficiaries of the restaurant ‘Tomillo’, in the Casco Antiguo, and the fast food chain ‘Buco Pollo’, in Marbella and San Francisco ‘, the document cites.

Another point that request  is to investigate the acquisition of properties in La Mare, an exclusive residential project between the Pan-American Highway and the Pacific Ocean, promoted by Roberto Sandoval, Raúl’s brother, according to the complaint.

The costs of residences and apartments range between $306.000  t and $ 486,000 The information gathered by the complainant suggests that Sandoval would have bought a beach house on that project.

Rafael Flores, another Varela secretary, would have bought another property in the same place.

To these purchases are added two Mercedes Benz cars valued at $150,000  each and an apartment at Punta Pacifica, in the Aquilina building, valued at $1 million.

The properties and assets were acquired during the administration of Varela, the complaint states. Purchases that, according to the complainant, would be outside the financial reach of Sandoval, who earns  $6,000 monthly.

Levin also asks to investigate Eduardo Carles (current MIDA minister), as director of the IMA, who was head of purchases of Barraza y Compañía which has benefited from tdirecct contracts by direct invitation from the IMA. The company denied everything in a statement without a date.

Raúl Sandoval, private secretary of President Juan Carlos Varela, said that he is the object of “false attacks, ” that echo a reckless complaint filed by a person who does not clarify who he works for. In a statement sent to this media, Sandoval said that at the time he will exercise the right to defend himself legally against the unsubstantiated advances of the complainant.

According to Sandoval, the assets of his property are supported by bank loans with their respective payment terms of 20 and 30 years and were acquired during his career in the private and public sector.