Suspended company wins lush carnival contract

The administrator of the Tourism Authority (ATP), Iván Eskildsen, will pay at least $210,000 to promote the 2023 carnival to a suspended  company reports La Prensa.

Since August 2021, the Public Registry suspended the operations of Servicios Integrales Ancor, S.A. but

The company received the direct contract from the ATP, despite the fact that the company itself delivered documentation to the institution that clearly indicates that the company is commercially suspended in the Public Registry.  

The ATP told La Prensa that the company is up to date with its operation notice, but asked the State Communications Secretariat for “the approval ” so that, of the total money approved for the promotion of the carnival, $24,000 would be allocated to radio spots and advertising but in thr Public Registry, it is still suspended, La Prensa corroborated.

Eskildsen’s request to the State Communications Secretariat was made before receiving the proposal from Ancor Comprehensive Services, which arrived a week later, on February 1. The document indicates that the advertising on Instagram would begin on February 12 and it would end on February 21, but the radio spots had already begun to be broadcast on January 30.

The Integral Services proposal indicates that the company was created in 2014 and that it has “more than 5 years of experience in the world of entertainment”. Unless construction is for entertainment, its  experience in this field is questionable, since the company was created primarily to carry out construction works.

In a document registered in the Public Registry – also on January 25, the day the MICI notice of operation was received – it is noted that this company changed its name to “Área 726, INC.”, but, as it is suspended for process, the name change could not be consummated.

Servicios Integrales has Rocío Molina as president; Angelee Barrancos (secretary) and Aris Arguelles de Barrancos (treasurer). This company promised that its advertising on Instagram would reach at least “3 million people”, but it does not indicate how it will achieve that goal or how the alleged achievement can be verified.

La Prensa verified the Instagram accounts of two directors of the company. In the case of Molina, this person only has 115 followers, while Angelee Barrancos has 1,560 followers. As for Aris Arguelles de Barrancos, an account in her name was not found on her Instagram, nor was it found for the company Servicios Integrales Ancor, S.A.

The ATP, without specifying criteria, chose eight radio stations to broadcast the spots, two of them –Fabulosa Estéreo and Tropi Q– belong to deputy Hernán Delgado, from Cambio Democrático.

La Prensa tried multiple times to the number that appears in the Ancor Comprehensive Services quote, but no one answered the phone.