Battle lines drawn in Deputies contract scam

Profligate lawmakers in the National Assembly continue to rail at the Executive over their slashed budgets including the millions for contracts and staffing which have become a thinly disguised umbrella for family hiring, or contracts for non-existent projects including handsome kickbacks.

A slew of them are facing criminal charges in the  Supreme Court thanks to audits by the Comptroller  General in spite of blocking attempts by the Assembly’s president. Yanibel Abrego.

Meanwhile, Angelica Maytin, director of the Transparency and Access to Information Authority (Antai), refuses to give up on her attempts to extract information from  Abrego.

She reiterated on Wednesday, September 26 that, to date, Antai has not obtained the 080 form reporting deputies multi-million dollar staffing expenditures.

Maytin said she received a letter from Ábrego, saying the form was suspended [by the Comptroller for non-compliance] and, therefore,  deputies did not have the obligation to provide it. “They are wrong,” said  Maytin who questioned that the only form available is that of April and not that of the months following

So, how have the officials been paid ? Where are the forms? Why are they not published?

Maytin said that that the dilatory process is moving towards administrative sanctioning process with a fine be imposed on the Assembly for not delivering that information.

The process that will  end up in the Supreme Court of Justice is being finalized, “It will be them [the Court] who will determine if the Antai is the appropriate entity to impose fines for not having delivered the information, “

She reiterated that it is public access information. “We are going to continue doing our work, “she said. Form 080 is the one that contains the contracts for professional services of the personnel hired by   deputies and in which, according to investigation relatives of deputies and others  have  received fictitious contracts