Food bag king pin wants house arrest
A FEW WEEKS after Pansma’s general election on May 4, 2014 in the National Assistance Program (PAN) orders were given to eradicate any traces of possible irregularities in the institution and mainly related to contracts for bags of food provided through PAN, then managed by Rafael Guardia Jaen, who is now “telling all” to prosecutors.
The project operated from warehouses in Rodman. The site was used as a repository and there lay all the boxes with the details for delivery of the bags of food, reports La Prensa.
The information comes from statements given by the former head of PAN warehousing , Edwin Serracín to the Fourth Anti-CorruptionProsecutor, Ruth Morcillo.
La Prensa reported Sunday that the audit report of the Comptroller General’s Office related to the process of purchase and delivery of food bags revealed that three businessmen Roberto Carretero, Carlos and Juan Carlos Arauz Caneto Marciaga- obtained over $16 million in orders for the purchase of these goods; that is, almost half of the total assets that caused injury to the State in this process, estimated at $33.2 million
Guardia Jaen, who stashed away some $20 million in local and foreign bank accounts during his two years in office, and purchased luxury homes, yachts and high end cars while flashing multiple Rolex watches, according to testimonies, is being held in El Renacer prison, and has been cooperating with investigators. He has asked to be moved to “house arrest,” claiming ill health.