Highways: the Government seeks to cancel the concessions of Panamericana and del Oeste

08/11/2021 12:06

• Clarín.com

• Economy

Updated 08/11/2021 12:29 PM

The Minister of Public Works, Gabriel Katopodis, said

that the Government will request the cancellation of the Western Access and Pan-American concessions

, which were extended until 2030 by the Mauricio Macri administration.

"We are requesting the cancellation of the concession for 30 years of Acceso Oeste and Panamericana,"

Katopodis announced this morning in dialogue with El Uncover Radio.

In this sense, he made it clear that it

is necessary "a judicial instance

that shows the harmfulness of the extension of the toll concessions and there President Alberto Fernández can annul them by decree."

"From day one we began all audits and presented ourselves as plaintiffs in all legal cases

where there were incompatible businesses. People trust Peronism to get us out of the pandemic and put Argentina on its feet," explained the Minister of Public Works about the process that he himself started in early 2020.

The concession contract for the North and West accesses, in charge of Autopista del Sol (Ausol), had been extended until 2030 by means of a decree signed by the then vice president Gabriela Michetti;

along with the former Chief of Cabinet, Marcos Peña, and the former Minister of Transport, Guillermo Dietrich.

The extension of

the concession of both highways generated controversy due to the commercial participation of the family of the former president, Mauricio Macri,

as shareholders of Ausol until May 2017.

In fact, in the face of suspicions of businesses incompatible with the public function, former President Macri did not sign the decree, although as first president he endorsed an extension of the concession that remained in the eyes of the Justice.

According to identical letters sent to the Stock Exchange on July 30, both companies were notified of "actions that would have been initiated" by the Public Works portfolio

"with the purpose of reviewing the Comprehensive Contract Renegotiation Agreement of the Concession Contract. ",

approved by decree 607 and 608 of 2018.

These renegotiations are being prosecuted for complaints of irregularities, which

include the alleged evasion of taxes between 2004 and 2014

.

In July 2018, the Macri administration renewed these concessions until 2030 and recognized the firms $ 750 million for an alleged state debt.

In that sense, the former president

had excused himself from intervening in the renegotiation to avoid a conflict of interest.

The Macri Group, through Sideco, had 23% of the shares of Autopistas del Sol, which it sold in May 2017.

The concessionaires said that "according to a preliminary analysis of the documentation supplied with the notification, within the framework of these actions certain objections have been expressed in relation to the legitimacy of the Comprehensive Agreement, and no decision has been notified to the respect".

At the beginning of the month, both firms, which had 10 days to pronounce on the issue (time that is expiring these days) said that they were

"analyzing in detail the background on which a copy was granted and the courses of action to follow".

In any case, they have already clarified that "

the objections raised are inadmissible"

and that the renegotiated contracts had the approval of the Executive Power and followed all the norms.

YN

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