Comptroller fails to endorse  troubled modular hospital contract

Panama’s  Comptroller General, Gerardo Solís, has refused to endorse the contract between the Ministry of Public Works (MOP) and the  SmartBrix Centroamérica,  company for the construction of the trouble shrouded Albrook modular hospital, for patients with coronavirus.

The contract was returned to MOP on Monday, June 8.

“There are economic, technical and inspection aspects that must be specified by the MOP, during this stage of evaluation of the administrative procedure for the improvement of the contractual intention,” said the Comptroller.

Sabonge , and the president of SmartBrix, Nitesh Mayani  signed  the  contract  for $6.9 million. And it was was sent to the Comptroller’s Office, for endorsement.

Sabonge, who on Wednesday toured with deputies at the modular hospital, said that the Comptroller’s decision “is normal” in this type of procedure. “Maybe they require a little more additional information, which is what they are working on. It is typical in this matter of public contracting ”, he added.

“In each of the public contracts, that is the supervisory role of the Comptroller. Each of these public contracts that is made then normally comes with corrections that normally must be corrected by the institution, “he said.

The modular hospital was built in a month and was delivered to the Ministry of Health (Minsa) on April 16.

The anti-corruption prosecution opened an ex officio investigation and the Administration’s attorney, Rigoberto González , received two complaints against Sabonge: one, for having rejected the donation of a Chinese company to turn the Amador convention center into  a hospital temporary hospital with 1,500 beds, and another, for the alleged use of recycled modules in the construction of the hospital.

Sabonge said Wednesday that SmartBrix has not charged “a dollar” because the contract has not been endorsed.

The modular hospital was built in a month and was delivered to the Ministry of Health (Minsa) on April 16.

The anti-corruption prosecution opened an ex officio investigation and the Administration’s attorney, Rigoberto González, received two complaints against Sabonge: one, for having rejected the donation of a Chinese company to turn the Amador convention center in a hospital temporary with 1,500 beds, and another, for the alleged use of recycled modules in the construction of the hospital.