More fiddling with PAN instrument deals

 PRICES of musical instruments climbed the scales to hit the high notes when sold to the National Assistance Program (PAN).  Meanwhile the police got a better deal.

On Nov. 20, 2013, Comptroller Gioconda Torres de Bianchini approved a $4 million contract to provide musical instruments to public schools across the country.
Three months later, PAN Director Rafael Guardia Jaén awarded a $5 million contract for more instruments that was awarded to the Country Max company.
That was followed by another $3 million purchase..
The contracts have raised questions due to alleged “irregularities”
When Country Max issued a proposal to sell instruments to the national police band. In the prices of some of the instruments were hundreds of dollars less than the ones purchased by the PAN.
Two officials of Country Max, Margarita Santamaría and Luis Carlos Sánchez, are also involved in the company Digimart International, which received contracts for $7 million from the PAN for sports uniforms, bags of food and appliances.
On Thursday. July 16, Sixth Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Aurelio Vásquez descended on the PAN headquarters to gather documentation on the instrument purchases.
The prosecutor declined to comment on specifics, saying: “Everything will come out in the audit report.” Reports La Prensa.
José Matías Muñoz, director of Art and Culture for the Ministry of Education, said that he has received complaints of the quality of the instruments from band directors.