Businessman with 17 companies made competing bids for contracts

A PANAMA Businessman with close links to the Martinelli administration submitted competing bids for government projects from his 17 companies and was rewarded with contracts totaling over $10 million .

The accusation comes from former National Aid Program (PAN) Director Rafael Guardia Jaen, who said Juan Carlos companies received competed for the same contract, making it appear as though the work was competitively bid, Guardia Jaen said.
Guardia Jaen’s lawyer, Víctor Orobio, said that Marciaga used various companies to hide his involvement.
Marciaga is being investigated for contracts his companies received from the Floor and Roof Program through the Ministry of Housing during the administration of former President Ricardo Martinelli.

“The case has to do with a single entrepreneur,” he said. “Many people [acted] as intermediaries on his behalf.”
Guardia Jaen made the declarations Friday, June 27, to anti-corruption prosecutors as part of the ongoing investigation into irregularities in the PAN.