Lucia Salinas
05/31/2020 - 23:03
- Clarín.com
- Politics
For the first time, a mega investigation was opened against 40 national government agencies , from ministries, decentralized entities, for all the purchases made in the framework of the Covid pandemic19. The Office of Administrative Investigations (PIA) in charge of the national prosecutor Sergio Rodríguez opened a file after the alleged overpricing in purchases that the Ministry of Social Development was going to make. In this case, irregularities were detected in the publication processes, deficiencies in "access to information". Consequently, the General Audit Office of the Nation (AGN) was requested to initiate an audit report. Likewise, the Public Information Directorate was asked to intervene.
On April 20, the PIA denounced the Ministry of Social Development for the crimes of fraud against the public administration, abuse of authority and eventual negotiations incompatible with the public function, for the purchase of food that would generate an expenditure of $ 547 million . The research hypothesis is that a 65% surcharge would be applied . In addition, the existence of addressing certain business groups that were invited and awarded with higher costs than those reported by SIGEN and the market was highlighted.
This case, which is already based in federal justice, was the initial kick for a larger file. Prosecutor Rodríguez opened an investigation into ministries, decentralized entities, various government agencies that made purchases of various supplies in the framework of the Covid health emergency19, as disclosed by the PPT program.
Under the premise that the irregularities already reported and that starred in the portfolio led by Daniel Arroyo, could have been replicated in the purchases that were made in other ministries and organizations, due to the health emergency. As confirmed by judicial sources to Clarín, the PIA found certain "inefficiencies in the processes of public information and transparency", when trying to determine "what were the direct purchases made."
The PIA concluded that "beforehand the difficulty that undertaking this task has meant must be expressed, given the prevailing disorganization regarding the lack of transparency, visibility and inefficiency in the management of state activity in matters of public information."
It was also pointed out that "the lack of uniform criteria in basic accountability imposed by current regulations for state contracting under the decreed emergency is clearly evident." A statement was added to these observations: The published data is late, imprecise and incomplete. "This results in an extraordinary breeding ground for opportunities for the commission of acts of corruption," he specified.
As an example, it was detailed that in the Official Gazette, “no purchase made by the National Ministry of Health was published, and at least 8 purchases (in the state of opening, evaluation or awarded) could be found on the website to buy". They were carried out under the “direct contracting” modality.
Along the same lines, as exemplified by the Malbrán Institute, “the ONC list reported 6 purchases made but only the awards of the so-called direct contracts in the emergency of Covid19 were published in the Official Gazette. From the report made through COMPR.AR., It appears that between January 1, 2020 and May 8, 25 direct hires were awarded. ” The window set by the Office of the Attorney General at the time of this investigation was set from March 8 to May 8 with the various Decrees of Need and Urgency (DNU) of the Government announcing and extending the quarantine by Covid19.
More than a week ago, as Clarín learned , prosecutor Rodríguez issued letters to 40 agencies, ministries, state agencies, asking him to report on all purchases made, the prices of references, and the situation in which each file is, that is, if the acquisitions were completed or not. Requests for explanations were sent to the AFIP, INCUCAI, Malbrán, the University of San Martín, the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Health, the Inside. Also, the Army, ANAC, federal forces that depend on the Ministry of Security (Gendarmería, PSA), Garrahan, INDEC, PAMI and the list continues.
By detecting a significant amount of inconsistencies regarding purchases made by various ministries and State agencies, and taking into account the “exceptional framework that the administration is going through and the extraordinary powers that have been granted to officials to counter the effects of the health emergency ", The AGN was requested to carry out a" deep audit in order to verify the correct application of administrative procedures, in "all the purchases of goods and services made by the different organisms of the National Executive Power".
In parallel, the Directorate for Access to Public Information was asked to intervene "as a result of the inconsistencies detected in matters of transparency" in direct purchases made by 40 government agencies.