Court orders Giacomo Tamburrelli to serve sentence

The First Criminal Case Liquidation Court ordered the fulfillment of the sentence of 48 months in prison for embezzlement of Giacomo Tamburrelli, former director of the National Aid Program (PAN) for the contract million-dollar purchase of dehydrated food for a public-school nutrition program.

Judge Agueda Renteria expressed the order in edict 62 of January 10, 2024, and it comes after the Second Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice flatly rejected the admission of the appeal for cassation presented by the legal defense of Tamburrelli.

In the case, businessman Rubén De Ycaza was also sentenced to 96 months in prison.

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office began the investigation in 2015 following an audit report.

The First Liquidation Court is also carrying out a process against three other people for a second case of embezzlement related to dehydrated foods for an amount of $14.5 million. The trial in this case is set for January 29, 2024.

In both cases, the Prosecutor’s Office has stated that the dehydrated food was never delivered to public schools, as planned, and that cost overruns occurred in the contracts assigned by PAN officials.