Direct city contract in 400% inflation probe
A company under investigation in Spain for inflating the cost of training programs in four Panama provinces by 400%, got three direct consulting contracts during the current Panama City administration.
Alain Anguizola, training coordinator of Central Supply Markets, S.A., (Mercasa) claims the company complied with all contracts
Panama Mayor, José Isabel Blandón, said Monday, December 11 that one of the contracts related to the design of a peripheral market in Juan Díaz, is in the process of cancellation for “breach of contract”.
Anguizola counterclaimed that this is “totally false, reports La Prensa.
Anguizola is mentioned by Spanish media as the person involved in Panama in the cost overruns, but noted that he did not negotiate contracts, nor is in charge of the financial part.
Blandón, disassociated himself from any anomaly related to the investigation carried out in Spain against representatives of the Mercasa).
The Spanish state company is being investigated for the alleged systematic payment of
commissions in Africa and Latin America in exchange for contracts related to consultancies. Including cost overruns in training project for traders of the Cold Chain in Panama during the last government.
In the case of Blandón said that during three contracts operating during his term were given by a different administration.
He said that of the three contracts that the Municipality with Mercasa, one that was related to the consulting service, writing of the project of reform, expansion and modernization of the San Felipe Neri market, for $290 000, and another regarding a study service for the strategic location of future peripheral city markets for $290,000.He said that both projects were completed.
A $212,000 thousand, contract for the design of a peripheral market in Juan Diaz, was canceled due to non-compliance. Despite what was said by Blandón, data from Panama Compra and the Comptroller General show that the first two contracts were canceled says La Prensa.
Referring to trips by the Mayor’s staff, Blandon said that although they were invited by Mercasa, “I do not let companies pay for tickets for officials of the Mayor’s Office “.
He added: “It is being suggested that there was something wrong with the contracts of the City Hall when it’s not like that. “
The investigations in Spain link the former president of the Community of Madrid Ignacio González, and his brother, Pablo González, former Director of Strategy and Operations of the Mercasa company, with the alleged systematic payment of commissions from the company.
In Panama, Mercasa obtained multi-million dollar contracts between 2010 and 2016. One of the last officials of the Municipality to travel to Spain was the general secretary, Guillermo Bermúdez: “We hired them directly because they already had studies and were in Panama. It was a Spanish public company and it never crossed our minds that there was some act of corruption” he said.
Anguizola, said that what Mayor Blandón said about the design project of the Juan Díaz market was “false”
He acknowledged that auditors of the Office of the Comptroller General (CGR) inspected the Mercasa offices in Panama and they were provided with all the information related to the training contract for merchants of the Cold Chain.
CGR auditors also went to the offices of the Chain to obtain information
Roque Maldonado, the manager of the Chain said there is an ongoing investigation in the Public Prosecutor’s Office and they have collaborated with all requests for information
