Moderators Moderator_02 Posted October 1, 2017 Moderators Share Posted October 1, 2017 Quote Civil groups question procurement law Posted on September 30, 2017 in Panama, Panama Post Views: 115 PRESIDENT Juan Carlos Varela has approved a law governing government procurement that leaves the door open for companies like Odebrecht that have been convicted of corruption to bid on future projects. Varela attached his signature a month after the bill was approved in a National Assembly third debate. Aneth Planells of the Independent Movement (Movin) said that the new procurement law contains advances in transparency, caps on addenda, limits on best value bids with separate evaluation, but there is still room for improvement. She considers that it is the duty of the deputies to present a new project that contemplates the veto of these companies and includes the purchase of medicines in public procurement reports El Siglo. Political analyst Richard Morales stressed that the Procurement Law will not have a significant impact because it maintains methods that affect the State, so it is important to push for changes to benefit the state coffers. Although some of the excesses in the contracts are limited, it still allows deals that are harmful to the State, such as turnkey ones and the excessive profit scheme at the cost of public resources, in which the costs of the works are socialized but the benefits are privatized “he said. http://www.newsroompanama.com/business/panama-4/civil-groups-question-procuremenet-law Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted June 6, 2018 Author Moderators Share Posted June 6, 2018 Quote $31 million add-on for bribery linked group Posted on June 5, 2018 in Panama Post Views: 115 An addendum of $30.8 million added to the contract signed between Constructora Meco, S.A. and the Ministry f Public Works (MOP) has been by PanamasComptroller General. Thw add-on following increments for the completion of Terminal 2 by Odebrecht and an anticipated surge in the cost of completing Metro line 2, another Odebrecht project is raising concerns about the government’s lack of independent experts to analyze construction costs. The Meco project is the design, construction, rehabilitation, and widening of the Pedregal-Gonzalillo-Transístmica highway. The MOP had calculated a fixed cost for the payment of a bondof $3 million and now an increase to $ 30.8 million, because the amount was “Insufficient”, according to the addendum. The difference, 10 times higher, is because, according to the MOP, once the technical staff of carried out the analysis and study, it was concluded that more will be required Meco and other construction contractors of the State -among the GS Corporate Group, Bagatrac, Rodsa, Conalvías, Concepto y Espacios, and Ingeniería REC- would have rotated in the past administration about $40 million in bribes to MOP officials in exchange for streamlined procedures and disbursements in public infrastructure projects, according to research into the Blue Apple scandal by the Public Ministry. http://www.newsroompanama.com/news/panama/31-million-add-on-for-bribery-linked-group Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted August 13, 2018 Author Moderators Share Posted August 13, 2018 Quote Flood suspect seeking new state projects Posted on August 12, 2018 in Panama, Panama Post Views: 112 ODEBRECHT the Brazilian construction company whose name has become synonymous with bribery and corruption, But that hasn’t stopped its current leaders from attempting to re-enter the market for Panama’s lucrative state construction projects from which it has garnered some $9 billion in contracts handed out by successive administrations from Martin Torrijos through the Martinelli years to the Varela era. The company is currently in the penultimate stages of completing Metro Line 2, Tocumen International Terminal 2, a Colon redevelopment project and a Panama city highway refurbishing handed out by the mayor’s office which has been widely criticized after unprecedented flooding during the current rainy season. Now, after being frozen out of the $1.5 billion fourth canal bridge project The Brazilian company appears to be the likely winner with a $45 million bid for a Ministry of Public Works (MOP) project to rehabilitate streets in Betania, Curundú, Don Bosco, Juan Díaz, Lefevre Park, Pueblo Nuevo and Río Abajo. In a contest with other international consortia, it has presented the lowest proposal, although by just a few dollars says La Prensa. https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/panama-4/odebrecht-seeking-new-state-projects Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted July 13, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted July 13, 2019 Quote New procurement law lets Odebrecht into the ring Posted 12/07/2019 Procurement law draft lets Odebrecht into the ring Odebrecht, the Brazilian company that has been the beneficiary of billions of dollars for construction projects from successive administrations and has admitted having paid scores millions in bribes to win contracts in Panama, could continue to build for the State The news comes despite the fact that the draft of the reforms to the Public Procurement Law proposes barring companies that incur crimes against public administration. In practice, all companies that have signed effective collaboration agreements before the reforms could continue to participate in state tenders reports La Prensa. The bill, to amend the law, establishes that the judicial cooperation agreements signed with the competent authorities will be respected. But future malfeasance will be punished. The changes, which the Executive has begun to disclose with different organizations, propose as grounds for inability to contract with the State acts of corruption that have been sentenced "in firm in Panamanian courts." It also indicates that companies whose majority shareholders have been convicted will not be able to contract with the State, provided that the crime is linked to the activities of the company or its affiliated companies. This regulation would apply as of the validity of the law, as it cannot be retroactive, says the of the Presidency, legal advisor Gaspar Tarté. Therefore, the measure will not touch Odebrecht or any other company that has used bribery to win state contracts. Severo Sousa, president of the National Council of Private Enterprise (Conep), agreed that it would be illogical to go against the legal matter if an agreement was reached before changing the law. Individuals In the case of individuals, the reforms indicate that it will not be possible to hire those who have been convicted in the five years preceding the award. It refers to convictions by final judicial decision or that have admitted and signed agreements of judicial collaboration where they confess or recognize the crimes against the public administration, money laundering or any other crime against the economic order. The draft reforms have to be presented to the National Assembly for discussion. https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/new-procurement-law-lets-odebrecht-into-the-ring Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted March 11, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted March 11, 2020 https://twitter.com/EstrellaOnline/status/1237660799902023681?s=20https://twitter.com/EstrellaOnline/status/1237660799902023681?s=20 An unedited automated translation of this Tweet: Quote ASSEMBLY | The plenary is in permanent session to discuss the changes to the public procurement law http://bit.ly/3cOrJhO Moderator comment: I find it interesting to see so many empty seats during this session, and on such an important policy level matter. This subject gets to a core issue in mitigating corruption incentives (IMHO). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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