Moderators Moderator_02 Posted May 20, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted May 20, 2019 Quote ‘Pay for no work’ embezzlement probe Posted 19/05/2019 A criminal investigation into alleged botellas (salaries paid for nonexistent jobs) at the Panamanian Autonomous Cooperative Institute (Ipacoop), which governs the country’s credit unions. Anti-corruption prosecutors arrived at the entity’s headquarters on Friday, May 17 after a complaint filed by the Office of the Comptroller General for the alleged commission of crimes against the public administration (embezzlement) In the criminal complaint filed reference was made to alleged irregularities in salary collections by executive assistants, and advisers appointed in Ipacoop that entity who were not going to work(botellas). Prosecutor Tania Sterling stressed that they were at the offices to obtain other elements that complement the work done by the Comptroller. Sterling said that they are conducting visual eye inspections in the Human Resources and Legal Advice Department of Ipaccop and that they have had the cooperation of the team assigned to them to comply with this phase. If there are elements to be charged, interviews would be in the hearing rooms of the Public Ministry. https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/pay-for-no-work-embezzlement-probe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted June 10, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted June 10, 2019 Quote Comptroller s moves to audit lawmakers Posted 09/06/2019 A team of auditors from the office of the Comptroller General is preparing, to move to the National Assembly this week in the next few days, to carry out an audit of lawmakers’ expense reports. The move comes after the recent ruling of the Supreme Court denied an appeal by Assembly the president of the AN, Yanibel Ábrego, against the comptroller Federico Humbert’s earlier attempt to audit the returns. The Comptroller's Office will execute the audit to Form 080, mainly in the periods corresponding to the presidency of Ábrego (2017 to 2019). According to Humbert, about 20% of the information that has not been available. He stressed that the ruling saves the State from being exposed to more injuries. Humbert said he felt "honored" by the ruling of the court. On May 16, 2018, Ábrego filed an appeal for guarantees with the Court after the Comptroller sent a group of officials to audit the 080 form, "bonuses, incentives and other services of the Assembly ". , Ábrego argued that the action taken by the Comptroller was illegal since it was left i the Assembly from exercising "its right to defense. " In its ruling the Supreme Court said that the Comptroller "is an independent state agency of a technical nature, whose mission is to monitor, regulate and control the movements of funds and public goods, and examine, intervene until the accounts related to them expire. " Meanwhile an ongoing audit of the Municipality of San Miguelito, headed by Mayor Gerald Cumberbatch. which will cover the period 2014 to date has revealed people miossing from their jobs and people included in reports that "nobody knew who they were." According to the monitoring of the Transparency and Access to Information Authority (Antai), in March, the Municipality of San Miguelito has compliance of only 29% of the law which dictates rules on the transparency in public management. https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/comptroller-s-moves-to-audit-lawmakers-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted June 11, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted June 11, 2019 Quote Prosecutor appeals ruling in lawmaker rip-off probe A truckload of evidence arriving at the Public Ministry Posted 10/06/2019 The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office has appealed the rulings of the Fifth Criminal Court that annulled the preliminary investigation orders of the member's of the National Assembly Budget Office, allegedly involved in misusing taxpayer money. Under the spotlight are Roberto Espinoza, Reynaldo Bedoya, and Gladys Cedeño, and the substitute representative of El Chorrillo, Keira Navarro Rodríguez,as part of the investigation for alleged mismanagement of funds in community meetings in the country. The appeal will be resolved by the Second Superior Court of Justice. In the case of former officials Espinoza, Bedoya and Cedeño, Judge Enrique Paniza concluded in a ruling on May 21 that the punishable act has not been proven, since - as the auditors of the Ministry of Economy and Finance left it ( MEF) in its internal report, it cannot be determined that there is a patrimonial injury, since that opinion is the exclusive competence of the Comptroller The prosecutor Adecio Mojica also appealed the decision of JudgePaniza, who favored Navarro Rodríguez for having electoral criminal jurisdiction, by participating as a candidate for alternate representative of El Chorrillo; "Therefore, the action carried out within that period has no value whatsoever and has no legal effect with respect to the one investigated ...". In the probe, his case, the Prosecutor's Office investigates alleged irregularities in the transfer of circuit items of deputies, which were handled in the last government (2009-2014) by different community boards of the country. So far, 18 people have been imputed. In a ruling of February 27, Judge Enrique Paniza decreed as a complex case e the investigations of 29 communal juntas. The investigation of another 157 communal boards is carried out in accordance with the accusatory criminal system. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/prosecutor-appeals-ruling-in-lawmaker-rip-off-probe-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted June 14, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted June 14, 2019 Quote Assembly ignores court, blocks lawmaker shady spending audit Posted 13/06/2019 Officials of the National Assembly have again prevented staff of the Comptroller General from entering to audit the spending records of lawmakers in spite of a ruling by the Supreme Court. The audit was initially ordered by Comptroller Federico Humbert on May 15, 2018, but deputyYanibel Ábrego, president of the Assembly prevented it and even presented an appeal of guarantees before the Supreme Court. The appeal was rejected by the Court and the Comptroller's Office could do its job without any problem. something seemingly unknown by the Assembly although it was widely publicized. The Comptroller General's Office described the move as assured that it was an "arbitrary and unlawful" For Comptroller Humbert, "it is unacceptable that the First State Organ, in charge of approving the laws and regulations that all citizens are obliged to comply with, should be the one who promotes in an open example of rebellion and insubordination to the Supreme Court of Justice, the fulfillment of the Constitution and the Law” "After the disastrous results that emanated from the audits we made to payrolls 172 and donations from the National Assembly, I am not surprised that this Institution insists on preventing the Comptroller General of the Republic, and therefore the citizenship, from knowing how the funds of that form were handled. There y are more than $59 million for which the Assembly does not want to be accountable; who does not owe it, does not have to fear it. “We will resort to all the legal instances that the Law empowers us to carry out our oversight responsibility to which the Constitution obliges us, "said Humbert. An earlier investigation by La Prensa uncovered massive alleged fraud with checks of over $1million going to the same bank cashier, jobs with salaries but no work https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/assembly-ignores-court-blocks-lawmaker-shady-spending-audit-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted June 15, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted June 15, 2019 Quote Assembly president locks horns with comptroller and court La Prensa's political cartoonist Low gives his view of Abrego's action as she kicks out of reach the files containing the Forms wanted by the comptroller Posted 14/06/2019 With just two weeks left in the term of the current administration with many of the sitting deputies victims of the “no to reelection” campaign, the president of the National Assembly, CD Deputy Yanibel Abrego, continues to lock horns with Panama’s Comptroller General, and the Supreme Court. On, Thursday, June 13 The Comptroller's Office sent a team to restart take the audit of the controversial form 80 (lawmakers’ payroll), but, Ábrego, prevented it, said the comptroller Federico Humbert in a statement. Humbert recalled that the Supreme Court rejected on May 18 an appeal of protection of constitutional guarantees presented by Ábrego in 2018, and gave the green light for the Comptroller to continue with the audit. The Legislature responded with a statement t that " at no time did they deny access to the auditors," and that they were given a copy of a request for clarification of the ruling made to the Court on May 24, and that they will cooperate once they receive the clarification presented. In a statement, the Comptroller reported that Ábrego did not allow access to the Assembly of auditors of that entity that sought to audit form 080, a fact that Humbert considered He called Abrego’s defiance "arbitrary" and "unlawful." He added that it is "unacceptable that the first body of the State, precisely in charge of approving the laws and regulations that all citizens are obliged to comply with, should be the one that promotes, in an open example of rebellion and insubordination to the Supreme Court of Justice, compliance with the Constitution and the Law " . The Comptroller ordered the audit of form 080 after detecting a series of irregularities in the handling of these funds, among them, the deposit of 997 checks totaling $630,000 in the same account. i He also detected that checks for $ 1.1 million were exchanged at the same branch of a bank and by the same cashier. Also, it was discovered the existence of officials who were paid but never worked, which the comptroller called "botellas. Through a statement, the Assembly responded that " at no time was admission denied to the auditors"; they were only informed that the Legislature presented a request for clarification of the judgment to the Court on May 24, "fundamental to determine the future validity or nullity of the audit." According to the statement, the Assembly is awaiting the response to the request, which was presented by the lawyer Carlos Carrillo, representing the Legislative. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/assembly-president-locks-horns-with-comptroller-and-court Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted June 19, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted June 19, 2019 Quote OPINION: Reign of Terror and Impunity Supreme Court Posted 18/06/2019 The Comptroller General of the Republic denounced deputies of the National Assembly for the irregular management of public funds. This new series of legal actions falls back into the hands of the Supreme Court of Justice, which has been unable to process all the previous files against the deputies and, even, persists in maintaining the files of Ricardo Martinelli's cases that should have been remitted to the Public Ministry in December of last year, when the Court declined its jurisdiction over the former president of the Republic. While the magistrates of the Court travel the world, increasing the judicial default, and avoiding any confrontation with the legislative power, thousands of Panamanians wait in prisons to be assigned a date for their respective trials. The Court has turned its back on the popular clamor for justice. With that record, the magistrates of that court lack the moral to demand that the proposal of constitutional reforms not close the reign of terror and impunity sponsored from the Palacio Gil Ponce. If it wanted, the Court has the solution to its problems. It is a matter of Will – LA PRENSA, Jun 18. https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/opinion-reign-of-terror-and-impunity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted June 19, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted June 19, 2019 Quote Reelected deputies facing criminal complaints Edwin Zuniga Posted 18/06/2019 Five criminal complaints against re-elected lawmakers for irregularities in the use of funds of the National Assembly. Charges against former deputies will be filed with the Public Ministry The deputies Edwin Zúñiga, Mario Miller, Francisco Alemán and Rubén de León, face complaints filed by the Comptroller Federico Humbert, through the lawyer Carlos Muñoz Pope. A complaint was filed against Alemán, re-elected deputy of the Molirena party; while two denunciations were filed against Zúñiga, re-elected deputy of the Cambio Democrático party (CD) https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/reelected-deputies-facing-criminal-complaints Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted August 31, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted August 31, 2019 Quote Transparency International calls for fresh probe of lawmakers’ $113 million plunder Posted 30/08/2019 The Foundation for the Development of Citizen Freedom, - The Panama chapter of Transparency International (IT)- has called on anti-corruption prosecutor Adecio Mojica , to submit a request to reopen the investigation for the alleged irregular handling of payrolls and donations managed by deputies of the National Assembly during the five year period 2014-2019. In a letter dated August 28, Olga de Obaldía, executive director of the foundation said that the petition is based on the fact that on August 23 it was reported that the Comptroller General Federico Humbert, had delivered to the Public Prosecutor's Office 24 audits, in which presumed irregularities related to donations and payrolls of the National Assembly are detailed, for $113 million. These summaries were provisionally dismissed on September 20, 2017, because there were no audits. However, with the delivery of these by the Comptroller to the Public Prosecutor's Office, it would be appropriate to request the reopening of the investigation. Among the findings of the audits is the fact that 29,405 contracts were awarded for $113 million, and many of the 87,864 checks issued to pay them, according to the audits, were deposited in the accounts of deputies, and of officials who said they worked in the legislature , but that, at the same time, worked in other companies. The audits also analyzed 5,728 donations in the amount of $15 million. Among the anomalies detected by the Comptroller in this item is the fact that some of the donation checks were found in the accounts of some deputies or companies linked to them. Several of thee checks were quickly exchanged to obtain cash in a short time. This operation would have involved personnel working in the Assembly and individuals. On April 20, 2017, the Foundation filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor to investigate Assembly officials Raúl Moreno Vaccaro, Marisela Araúz, Teófilo Gálvez, Ismael Frías, and Luis Rafael Cruz, then officials of the Municipal Council of Santiago, in Veraguas. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/transparency-international-calls-for-fresh-probe-of-lawmakers-113-million-plunder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted September 20, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted September 20, 2019 Quote First ex-deputy charged in Assembly funds scam Herrera arrives at the court with his lawyer Posted 19/09/2019 A former Panama lawmaker Absalón Herrera appeared before a judge of guarantees on Thursday, September 19, and was charged with fraudulent wrongdoing and falsehood, in the middle of a process related to communal meetings. He is likely the first of many from previous administrations whose activities were uncovered by a media investigation and are facing trial. He jumped ship from the PRD to the CD when Ricardo Martinelli became president The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Adecio Mojica will request precautionary measures in the case in another hearing that has not yet been scheduled, but had already been requested, said a Public Ministry statement. The Prosecutor said that acts against the public administration and that of falsehood are being investigated, and he does not rule out that other people will be charged, for using state assets in an improper way, using the national banking system to cash checks of the National Assembly. The penalty ranges from 8 to 15 years. The investigation against Herrera began, after an investigation by La Prensa revealed that the defendant handled $3 million that would be used for social works in the Guna Yala region and that they were administered through the communal board of Playa Leona. Mojica said that the investigations began in 2014 and after the first inquiries, an audit report was requested from the Comptroller General, which was delivered in March 2018. The main fact, according to the prosecutor in statements to Noticias AM, in July, is the mismanagement of public flows, that is, the transfers that were made to the communal meetings. What has been determined in the eye inspections, Mojica explained, is that in remote places there are boards that do not have an office, but did have an account with a large amount of money that should be used for the benefit of the community, however, it was returned to Panama City, for other uses. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/first-ex-deputy-charged-in-assembly-funds-scam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted October 24, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted October 24, 2019 Quote Forensic probe of signatures in alleged Assembly scams Posted 23/10/2019 The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office is waiting for calligraphic evidence from the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences (Imelcf) examining 303 checks coming from spreadsheets of deputies of the National Assembly, which were allegedly changed irregularly in the National Bank of Panama (BNP). Judicial sources reported that this diligence was requested because some beneficiaries of the checks have assured the prosecution that the signature is not theirs. The Public Ministry is also waiting for other documents to be inspected where people who sign the endorsements of the checks indicated to the Ministry authorities that they did not recognize their signatures reports La Prensa. At least 35 people have told the anti-corruption prosecution that they did not sign or receive the money. Prosecutor Leysa Sáez, in charge of the investigation, is waiting for the evidence to request judicial responsibilities within the process before a Court of Guarantees. So far no one has been charged. The investigation originated after a complaint lodged by Comptroller Federico Humbert on June 28, 2018, before the Public Prosecutor's Office for the alleged irregular collection of checks from the Assembly spreadsheets by a BNP cashier. According to the authorities' inquiries, the BNP cashier exchanged at least 318 checks in the amount of $808,088 thousand 88, from alleged payments to National Assembly staff. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/forensic-probe-of-signatures-in-alleged-assembly-scams Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted November 28, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted November 28, 2019 Quote Two strikes against sticky-fingered lawmakers Posted 27/11/2019 Lawmakers in the National Assembly who may have delved too deeply into the taxpayer-funded cookie jar during the last administration suffered two strikes on Tuesday, November 26. The Fifteenth Criminal Court announced that it declared "complex” a case to the detriment of the Assembly related to irregularities in checks. It granted the Public Prosecutor a total of 14 more months for the investigation in charge of the prosecutor Adecio Mojica. The fifteenth judge Leslie Loaiza said that "the summary can be considered as a complex case since it is found in the catalog of crimes required by law to be considered as such." Loaiza recalled that the judge has the power to authorize the extension of the summary “in exceptional cases and of great complexity due to the accumulation of people”. That request was submitted to the court by prosecutor Mojica, on November 20. Parallel to this case, prosecutor Leyda Sáez advances an investigation for irregularities in the collection of checks from the National Assembly, a process in which the alleged commission of crimes against the public administration This case is in the accusatory criminal system and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor issued an official letter to the Comptroller General to provide information on 36 checks from the National Assembly's forms, a process in which she investigates a National Bank teller that changed checks. The investigated cashier allegedly changed at least 318 checks in the amount of $808,888, which came from alleged payments to personnel included in payrolls of Assembly deputies. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/two-strikes-against-sticky-fingered-lawmakers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted December 26, 2019 Author Moderators Share Posted December 26, 2019 Quote Supreme Court backs Comptroller in checks to dead people scam Yanibel Abrego lost out to comptroller Posted 25/12/2019 Panama’s Supreme Court has endorsed the decision of the Comptroller, Federico Humbert , to refuse endorsement of payments involved the hiring of personnel for professional and temporary services. in the National Assembly which icluded irregularities like checks made out to deceased persons. The decision was produced by resolving an appeal presented by the Assembly in 2018, under the presidency of Yanibel Ábrego , to establish the validity of the Comptroller's actions, which he had detected through audits. The Third Administrative Dispute Chamber of the Supreme Court declared that it is not legally viable to endorse the payment of the payroll of trusted personnel of the deputies of the National Assembly (form 080). The ruling, dated December 6, 2019, favors the decision of the Comptroller General of the Republic not to endorse the disbursement of payments related to said return. The decision of the Third Chamber, under the presentation of Judge Cecilio Cedalise, argues that it is not legally viable to endorse payments to officials within that form. In 2018, the National Assembly, then chaired by Yanibel Ábrego, through lawyer Carlos Carrillo, submitted a request for the Third Chamber to assess the legal viability of the payment of said return, after the comptroller, , denied the disbursement of the resources. Humbert provided as evidence a report on which the suspension measure is based, following a series of irregularities found on some officials who appeared working in the National Assembly, but were relatives of the deputies. On June 5, 2018, form 080 was suspended by order of the comptroller because the investigations carried out by the Comptroller's Office revealed serious irregularities. For example, that some deceased people cashed checks. Following the findings of the audits on the management of the returns, the comptroller Humbert filed several complaints before the Supreme Court of Justice against deputies of different banks for the alleged irregular handling of the funds. Those reported include members of the Democratic Revolutionary Party Rubén De Léon, Leandro Ávila, Felipe Vargas, Athenas Athanasiadis. And Democratic Change Marilyn Vallarino, Mario Miller and Aris De Ycaza. He also denounced Francisco Alemán, of the Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement (Molirena), and Jorge Alberto Rosas, of the Panamanian Party. In the case of Rosas, Athanasiadis and De Ycaza, the Court moved processes to the Office of the Attorney General, after they lost their status as deputies on June 30, 2019 after not having been reelected The same must happen in the case of the complaint against former deputy Mario Miller and Felipe Vargas, who were also not re-elected. The Court also rejected an amparo of guarantees to the former president of the Assembly Yanibel Abrego against the decision of the Comptroller https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/supreme-court-backs-comptroller-in-checks-to-dead-people-scam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted January 12, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted January 12, 2020 Quote OPINION: Comptroller creates Assembly branch office Gerado Solis Posted 11/01/2020 The new comptroller general of Panama is a well-versed professional of the on conflicts of interest, the traffic of influences and the necessity of the purity of the political institutions. The comptroller is the last line of defense of the patrimony of the Panamanians. As is known, the deputies of the National Assembly managed millions of dollars in past governments, without rendering accounts properly. The audits of the legislative forms are still pending, which recently the Supreme Court allowed auditing without a clipper. That is why it causes deep consternation that the comptroller has appointed, within his closest work team, the spouse of a deputy and the sisters of the president and vice president of the Assembly, all of the PRD. What confidence in the Comptroller can possible complainants new comptroller general of the Republic is a well-versed professional of the right on the conflicts of interest, the traffic of influences and the necessity of the purity of the political institutions. The comptroller is the last line of defense of the patrimony of the Panamanians. As is known, the deputies of the National Assembly managed millions of dollars in past governments, without rendering accounts properly. The audits of the legislative forms are still pending, which recently the Supreme Court allowed auditing without restrictions. That is why it causes deep consternation that the comptroller has appointed, within his closest work team, the spouse of a deputy and the sisters of the president and vice president of the Assembly, all of the PRD. What confidence in the Comptroller can possible complainants have with junior officials of the deputies before these appointments? The comptroller knows exactly what he did and why he did it. The office of Balboa Avenue has been transformed into an assembly dumbbell. I hope the country does not regret it. or junior officials of the deputies before these appointments? The controller knows exactly what he did and why he did it. The office of Balboa Avenue has been transformed into an assembly branch office. We hope the country does not regret it.-LA Prensa, Jan. 11 https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/opinion-comptroller-creates-assembly-branch-office Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted October 7, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted October 7, 2020 Quote Asamblea Nacional revivió el fantasma de la planilla ‘cashback’ La Asamblea Nacional (AN) contrató a unos mil 750 ‘consultores’ –a los que pagó $8 millones–, incluidos políticos que perdieron las elecciones o familiares. Mary Triny Zea 06 oct 2020 - 11:50 PM La partida 172 de la AN paga a personal por servicios profesionales que la Contraloría no considera funcionarios. Archivo En julio pasado, cuando el presidente de la República, Laurentino Cortizo, anunció un proyecto para recortar el ingreso de los funcionarios, considerando que “el esfuerzo para superar la pandemia tiene que ser compartido por cada uno de nosotros con disciplina y solidaridad”, la Asamblea Nacional (AN) pagó el 87% de su planilla 172 –conocida como cashback–, de $8 millones. Pese a más de 10 llamadas y correos, el presidente de la AN, Marcos Castillero, evitó detallar los motivos que lo hicieron contratar a unas mil 750 personas –adicionales al personal permanente y eventual de la entidad– para ofrecer servicios profesionales cuando el país estaba paralizado y en confinamiento. ¿Cuáles eran sus funciones?, preguntó La Prensa. La AN indicó que “no cuenta con un programa que contenga el detalle de la información” y remitió a este medio a la Contraloría General, que tampoco lo reporta. “No existe ninguna disposición emitida por el Ejecutivo que, basada en el plan de austeridad, que permita a la Contraloría General de la República negar el refrendo de estas planillas, sobre todo cuando contaban con la disponibilidad presupuestaria que es uno de los requisitos a fiscalizar. Por lo tanto, el refrendo de las planillas de servicios especiales señaladas honró el compromiso adquirido previamente por el Estado al momento de suscribir los contratos con cada una de las personas beneficiarias, máxime que estos contratos cumplieron previamente con el requisito de refrendo por parte de nuestra entidad”, respondió la Contraloría. Asamblea reactiva planilla 172 y paga $8 millones en plena pandemia En julio pasado, en medio de uno de los confinamientos más severos del continente, cuando el país enfrentaba el pico de la pandemia y el Órgano Ejecutivo ejecutaba su llamado plan de “austeridad con eficiencia”, la Asamblea Nacional (AN) actuaba de manera diametralmente opuesta. Ese mes de julio, el Órgano Legislativo pagó el grueso de una controvertida planilla: la de la partida 172, bautizada por los propios diputados como la “planilla cashback”. Esta partida cobró notoriedad en 2017, tras una investigación de este medio que reveló que personal de los diputados ofrecía –a domicilio, incluso– “ayudas económicas” a personas de escasos recursos que, tras aceptarlas, las recibían en forma de contratos por servicios profesionales. Pero estas personas no ofrecían servicio alguno. De hecho –según contaron a este diario los receptores de los contratos– entre el 90% y 95% del monto del contrato era devuelto en efectivo a los oferentes que, a su vez, lo entregaban presuntamente al político que ofrecía tales “ayudas”. Este año, entre mayo y septiembre, la AN pagó unos mil 750 contratos a personas que supuestamente ofrecieron servicios profesionales (contratos que por lo general tienen vigencia de un semestre y se hace un solo pago). El monto global se elevó a un total de $8 millones, de los cuales, el 87% se pagó en julio pasado. En otras palabras, en medio del desplome económico a causa de la pandemia y de las severas y prolongadas medidas tomadas por el Gobierno y con el mayor déficit fiscal de las últimas décadas, la AN ha pagado en contratos –cuyos fondos salen de la partida 172– 10 veces más que el monto total asignado a esta partida el año pasado: $800 mil. Y no es poca cosa lo pagado en la planilla cashback. Considérese que con ese dinero se habría podido pagar el total del costo de las casi 1.5 millones de vacunas contra la influenza adquiridas por el Ministerio de Salud en abril pasado. O se habría podido adelantar, no una sino tres veces, los $2.5 millones que cuesta iniciar las obras de la nueva Facultad de Medicina de la Universidad de Panamá (UP) –un proyecto postergado desde hace 10 años–, fondo incluido en el proyecto de presupuesto de la UP para 2021, pero eliminado por el Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas. Gerardo Solís, contralor general de la República y Marcos Castillero, presidente de la Asamblea. Archivo Misterio ¿Cuáles son las funciones de esas mil 750 personas contratadas por servicios profesionales en la planilla de la partida 172, y cuyo ingreso promedio por contrato es de $4 mil 500, para un desembolso total de $8 millones? Una vez más, la AN no da detalle alguno en su portal digital, que únicamente muestra los de sus empleados permanentes. La Prensa pidió a la AN –a través de Ley de Transparencia– nombres, cédula, cargos, estado del contrato y fecha en que se efectuó la contratación, pero no lo facilitó. “Le comunicamos que esta institución no cuenta con un programa que contenga el detalle de la información, tal y como usted lo ha solicitado”, fue la respuesta de la AN en una carta a este medio. El artículo 7 de la Ley 6 de 2002 (de Transparencia) indica que si el funcionario sabe dónde está la información, debe indicarlo. Marcos Castillero, presidente de la AN, respondió en esa carta que se puede acceder a dicha información en el portal de la Contraloría. Quote Adjuntos Respuesta de la Asamblea Nacional.pdf data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== A través de un correo, La Prensa preguntó a la AN si no contaba con un programa de Excel para publicar los datos solicitados, pues se hizo la observación de que en las planillas de la Contraloría no se revelan los cargos, sólo el “tipo de pago”. Las preguntas no fueron respondidas. Y, aunque la Contraloría cuenta con información en una subsección poco visible denominada “Sin datos”, ubicada dentro de la sección “Consulta de pagos de planillas y donaciones de la Asamblea Nacional”, no se revelan cargos o funciones de los contratados ni qué diputado es el responsable de la contratación. La Contraloría respondió a La Prensa que, según la Constitución, las personas nombradas por la AN por servicios profesionales no son servidores públicos, sino que realizan servicios especiales y, por lo tanto –de acuerdo con la Ley de Presupuesto de 2020– en el portal electrónico de la Contraloría no se les asignan cargos. En cuanto a sus funciones, indicó que estas deben determinarse entre las partes y la información se debe incorporar en cada contrato antes del refrendo, a fin de verificar que no haya dualidades e incompatibilidades en el ejercicio de la contratación. “Luego y como contraprestación al servicio brindado, todo trámite de pago de las planillas de servicios especiales que se gestione ante la Contraloría General tiene que ir acompañado de toda la documentación pactada, incluyendo los informes de avance, por lo que nuestra institución tiene debido conocimiento del cumplimiento o no de los servicios especiales contratados por las entidades del Estado”, concluyó la Dirección de Fiscalización de la Contraloría. Quote Adjuntos Respuesta de la Contraloria General.pdf data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw== A la fecha, no se ha podido constatar la existencia de ni un solo informe que pruebe tales avances por los contratos y servicios refrendados. Con todo y la falta de información, La Prensa pudo extraer algunos datos y trasladarlos a una tabla de Excel, que permitió analizar y encontrar algunos patrones. “Refugio de invierno” Diputados no reelectos o exfuncionarios están entre los contratados por servicios profesionales en la AN que, además, tienen los contratos de mayor cuantía. Por ejemplo, en el grupo de personas con cédulas de Bocas del Toro figura el exdiputado Javier Patacón Ortega (PRD), con pagos que suman $24 mil 666 en dos cheques: uno del 24 de julio, por $5 mil; y otro de $19 mil 666, pagado el 18 de junio, según la Contraloría. La Prensa consultó a Ortega por chat y llamadas telefónicas sobre sus servicios, pero no respondió. Javier 'Patacón' Ortega. Archivo Por la provincia de Coclé, entre los mejores pagados están Héctor Emilio Álvarez Tejeira (PRD), ex vicegobernador de esa provincia (1999-2000), con $22 mil 200, pagados en dos cheques: uno de $4 mil 500, el 24 de julio; y otro, de $17 mil 700, de junio pasado. “Yo soy asesor de la Asamblea... Yo no tengo que darle ninguna explicación. Si usted investiga, el contrato debe decir cuál es la función, entonces haga su investigación completa. Si yo soy funcionario de la Asamblea, usted tiene que ir a Recursos Humanos de la Asamblea donde se registra eso… A mí no me tiene que preguntar nada. Yo tengo que hacer mi trabajo y a usted no tengo que explicarle nada, independiente de que son fondos públicos…”, se disgustó Álvarez Tejeira vía telefónica. También, Juan Antonio González González (PRD), con $18 mil 746, pagados en dos cheques. Este último aspiró a suplente de alcalde por el PRD en el distrito de La Pintada en los comicios generales de 2019. La Prensa no pudo contactarlo. Los exdiputados María Chelita Delgado y Alfredo Fello Pérez –ambos del PRD– también figuran con contratos de $24 mil 666 para cada uno, iguales en monto al recibido por Ortega. Exdiputada María 'Chelita' Delgado. Archivo La Prensa llamó a Delgado, quien prometió hablar más tarde y facilitar los documentos de su trabajo. Sin embargo, no lo hizo. “No tengo nada que ocultar, soy una mujer transparente, honesta, responsable y trabajadora. Y como ciudadana panameña, profesional con experiencia y con necesidad de empleo ante la Asamblea Nacional, realicé la entrevista correspondiente y fui seleccionada, por lo que agradezco a Dios”, dijo en un mensaje de texto. No mencionó qué diputado la contrató ni qué trabajo hizo. Insistió en que cumplió con las tareas de planificación, “organización efectiva” y asesoró en estudios y diagnósticos de salud y trabajo y que sus informes reposan en los archivos de la AN. “Repito, no tengo nada que ocultar, siendo una mujer transparente, honesta, responsable y no veo nada malo en solicitar un empleo y ser considerada. ¡Soy panameña!”, concluyó Delgado. Exdiputado Alfredo 'Fello' Pérez. Archivo A su turno, el exdiputado Pérez se negó a dar información. “Lo siento por usted, pero a periodistas de La Prensa no le doy entrevistas. Ya que mantengo una demanda legal con este medio de comunicación por acoso, calumnias e injurias, daños y perjuicios. Por tal razón, todo lo que La Prensa publique de mí se añadirá al expediente”, contestó en un mensaje de texto. Otro con contrato por servicios profesionales es el exdiputado Juan Manuel Peralta (PRD) con un contrato de $14 mil 800, de julio pasado. Peralta fue diputado en dos periodos por Natá y Olá, Coclé. También aspiró a diputado suplente en las pasadas elecciones, pero no obtuvo los votos. “Yo presté mis servicios de asesoría y entregué mis informes correspondientes al periodo contratado. Eso debe reposar en archivo. Soy una persona seria y responsable, y trato de ayudar a mucha gente que lo necesita, mi contrato es con la Asamblea, no con ningún diputado, atiendo temas de la Asamblea en general viendo diferentes proyectos que se presentan”, contesto por escrito. Más de 10 veces llamó ‘La Prensa’ al presidente de la Asamblea Nacional, Marcos Castillero, y le envió cuestionarios a través de su equipo de prensa, así como a su celular: ¿Cuál fue la razón por la cual se emitieron estos pagos en plena pandemia; qué actividades tenía la Asamblea? También se le preguntó por las funciones de este personal y cómo se reporta sus actividades a la Contraloría, ya que indicaron no tener una plataforma para facilitarlo al medio. No hubo respuestas. Añadió que atendió “diferentes grupos de personas que presentan inquietudes y problemas de la población en general, hacer recomendaciones a proyectos de ley” o, en el caso de los jubilados, que presentaron “inquietudes por la pandemia, el tema de la gente que piden nombramientos, la distribución de bolsas que mucha gente reclama…” describió Peralta como sus funciones, quien figura con otros contratos por más de $41 mil en 2016, 2017 y 2019. También hay familiares de políticos con contratos. Es el caso de Mario Gálvez, hermano del diputado Sergio Chello Gálvez, por un monto de $14 mil 833. Este es uno de los múltiples casos en los que personal de la hoy desaparecida planilla 080 migró a la 172. La Prensa intentó contactar a Gálvez, le llamó y le dejó un mensaje preguntando si había gestionado el contrato de su hermano y cuáles eran sus funciones, pero no respondió. Diputado Sergio 'Chello' Gálvez. Archivo. ¿Por qué la Contraloría refrendó estos contratos durante la pandemia? Según la Dirección de Fiscalización de la institución, “no existe ninguna disposición emitida por el Ejecutivo que, basada en el plan de austeridad, permita a la Contraloría General de la República negar el refrendo de estas planillas...”. Y sobre el llamado de austeridad, informó que le corresponde al Gobierno “determinar las reglas a seguir y nosotros, como ente de control de las finanzas pública, nos corresponde fiscalizar que el gasto que se realiza cumpla con las medidas determinadas por el Ejecutivo”. respondió por correo. La Prensa preguntó al presidente de la AN ¿qué tipo de actividades tenía la AN en esos meses que coinciden con la paralización del país que requería tal cantidad de contratos. También se le preguntó sobre la información requerida para refrendar los contratos. Pese a haber recibido las preguntas por correo electrónico el pasado 1 de octubre, de mensajes de texto y unas 10 llamadas, el funcionario no respondió. Moderator comment: Below is an unedited automated translation of the above news article (not including the embedded PDF reference documents). Quote National Assembly revived the ghost of the ‘cashback’ payroll The National Assembly (AN) hired some 1,750 ‘consultants’ - to whom it paid $ 8 million - including politicians who lost the elections or family members. Mary Triny Zea 06 Oct 2020 - 11:50 PM <<CKL7I3F5KVGL3KJCBJ4HSUG43M.jpg>> Item 172 of the AN pays personnel for professional services that the Comptroller's Office does not consider civil servants. Archive Last July, when the President of the Republic, Laurentino Cortizo, announced a project to cut the income of officials, considering that "the effort to overcome the pandemic has to be shared by each one of us with discipline and solidarity", the National Assembly (AN) paid 87% of his payroll 172 - known as cashback - of $ 8 million. Despite more than 10 calls and emails, the president of the AN, Marcos Castillero, avoided detailing the reasons that made him hire some 1,750 people - additional to the permanent and temporary staff of the entity - to offer professional services when the country was paralyzed and in confinement. What were their functions? Asked La Prensa. The AN indicated that "it does not have a program that contains detailed information" and referred this media to the Comptroller General, which does not report it either. "There is no provision issued by the Executive that, based on the austerity plan, that allows the Comptroller General of the Republic to deny the endorsement of these forms, especially when they had budget availability, which is one of the requirements to be audited. . Therefore, the endorsement of the aforementioned special service forms honored the commitment previously acquired by the State at the time of signing the contracts with each of the beneficiaries, especially that these contracts previously met the requirement of endorsement by our entity ”, responded the Comptroller's Office. <<payments.jpg>> Assembly reactivates form 172 and pays $ 8 million in full pandemic Last July, in the midst of one of the most severe confinements on the continent, when the country was facing the peak of the pandemic and the Executive Branch was executing its so-called "austerity plan efficiently", the National Assembly (AN) acted diametrically opposite. That July, the Legislative Branch paid the bulk of a controversial payroll: that of item 172, baptized by the deputies themselves as the “cashback payroll”. This item gained notoriety in 2017, after an investigation by this medium that revealed that deputies' staff offered –at home, even– “financial aid” to low-income people who, after accepting it, received it in the form of contracts for professional services . But these people did not offer any service. In fact - according to the recipients of the contracts told this newspaper - between 90% and 95% of the amount of the contract was returned in cash to the bidders who, in turn, allegedly gave it to the politician who offered such "aid." This year, between May and September, the AN paid some 1,750 contracts to people who supposedly offered professional services (contracts that are generally valid for a semester and only one payment is made). The global amount rose to a total of $ 8 million, of which 87% was paid last July. In other words, in the midst of the economic collapse due to the pandemic and the severe and prolonged measures taken by the Government and with the largest fiscal deficit in recent decades, the AN has paid in contracts - whose funds come out of item 172 - 10 times more than the total amount assigned to this item last year: $ 800 thousand. And what was paid on the cashback payroll is no small thing. Consider that this money could have paid the full cost of the nearly 1.5 million influenza vaccines purchased by the Ministry of Health last April. Or it would have been possible to advance, not once but three times, the $ 2.5 million it costs to start the works of the new Faculty of Medicine of the University of Panama (UP) - a project postponed for 10 years -, a fund included in the UP budget for 2021, but eliminated by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. <<Solis Castillero.jpg>> Gerardo Solís, Comptroller General of the Republic and Marcos Castillero, President of the Assembly. Archive Mystery What are the functions of those 1,750 people hired for professional services on the line item 172, and whose average income per contract is $ 4,500, for a total outlay of $ 8 million? Once again, the AN does not give any details on its digital portal, which only shows those of its permanent employees. The Press asked the AN - through the Transparency Law - for names, identity card, positions, status of the contract and the date on which the contract was made, but it did not provide it. "We inform you that this institution does not have a program that contains detailed information, as you have requested," was the response of the AN in a letter to this medium. Article 7 of Law 6 of 2002 (on Transparency) indicates that if the official knows where the information is, he must indicate it. Marcos Castillero, president of the AN, responded in that letter that said information can be accessed on the Comptroller's website. Quote Attachments Response of the National Assembly.pdf Through an email, La Prensa asked the AN if it did not have an Excel program to publish the requested data, as the observation was made that the charges are not revealed in the Comptroller's forms, only the “type of payment". The questions were not answered. And, although the Comptroller's Office has information in an inconspicuous subsection called "No data", located within the section "Consultation of payroll payments and donations from the National Assembly," no positions or functions of those hired or what deputy are revealed. is responsible for hiring. The Comptroller's Office responded to La Prensa that, according to the Constitution, the people appointed by the AN for professional services are not public servants, but rather perform special services and, therefore - in accordance with the 2020 Budget Law - on the portal Electronic Comptroller's Office are not assigned positions. Regarding its functions, it indicated that these must be determined between the parties and the information must be incorporated into each contract before the endorsement, in order to verify that there are no dualities and incompatibilities in the exercise of the contract. “Then and as a consideration for the service provided, all payment procedures for the special service forms that are handled by the Comptroller General must be accompanied by all the agreed documentation, including progress reports, for which our institution has due knowledge whether or not to comply with the special services contracted by State entities, ”concluded the Office of the Comptroller's Office of Inspection. Quote Attachments Response of the Comptroller General.pdf To date, it has not been possible to verify the existence of a single report that proves such progress by the endorsed contracts and services. With everything and the lack of information, La Prensa was able to extract some data and transfer it to an Excel table, which allowed it to analyze and find some patterns. "Winter refuge" Non-reelected deputies or former officials are among those hired for professional services in the AN who also have the largest contracts. For example, in the group of people with ID cards from Bocas del Toro, there is former deputy Javier Patacón Ortega (PRD), with payments totaling $ 24,666 in two checks: one from July 24, for $ 5,000; and another for $ 19,666, paid on June 18, according to the Comptroller's Office. La Prensa consulted Ortega via chat and phone calls about his services, but did not respond. <<ortega.jpg>> Javier 'Patacón' Ortega. Archive For the province of Coclé, among the best paid are Héctor Emilio Álvarez Tejeira (PRD), former deputy governor of that province (1999-2000), with $ 22,200, paid in two checks: one for $ 4,500, on July 24 ; and another, for $ 17,700, from last June. “I am an advisor to the Assembly ... I don't have to give you any explanation. If you do your research, the contract should say what the role is, so do your full research. If I am an officer of the Assembly, you have to go to Human Resources of the Assembly where this is recorded ... You do not have to ask me anything. I have to do my job and I don't have to explain anything to you, regardless of the fact that they are public funds… ”Álvarez Tejeira was upset by phone. Also, Juan Antonio González González (PRD), with $ 18 thousand 746, paid in two checks. The latter aspired to alternate mayor for the PRD in the district of La Pintada in the 2019 general elections. The press could not contact him. Former deputies María Chelita Delgado and Alfredo Fello Pérez –both from the PRD– also appear with contracts of $ 24,666 for each, equal in amount to that received by Ortega. <<D4JTIRRF5ZE4LMJYL5GBAHBGIM.jpg>> Former Deputy María 'Chelita' Delgado. Archive La Prensa called Delgado, who promised to speak later and provide her work documents. However, he did not do it. “I have nothing to hide, I am a transparent, honest, responsible and hard-working woman. And as a Panamanian citizen, a professional with experience and in need of employment before the National Assembly, I conducted the corresponding interview and was selected, for which I thank God, "she said in a text message. She did not mention which deputy hired her or what job she did. She insisted that she fulfilled the tasks of planning, "effective organization" and advised on studies and diagnoses of health and work and that her reports are in the archives of the AN. “I repeat, I have nothing to hide, being a transparent, honest, responsible woman and I see nothing wrong with applying for a job and being considerate. I'm Panamanian! ”Delgado concluded. <<Perez.jpg>> Former MP Alfredo 'Fello' Pérez. Archive In turn, former deputy Pérez refused to give information. “I am sorry for you, but I do not give interviews to journalists from La Prensa. Since I maintain a legal claim with this means of communication for harassment, slander and libel, damages. For this reason, everything that La Prensa publishes about me will be added to the file, "he replied in a text message. Another with a contract for professional services is former deputy Juan Manuel Peralta (PRD) with a contract of $ 14,800, last July. Peralta was a deputy in two terms for Natá and Olá, Coclé. He also aspired to be a substitute deputy in the last elections, but did not obtain the votes. “I provided my advisory services and delivered my reports corresponding to the contracted period. That should rest on file. I am a serious and responsible person, and I try to help many people who need it, my contract is with the Assembly, not with any deputy, I attend to Assembly matters in general, seeing different projects that are presented ”, I reply in writing. More than 10 times 'La Prensa' called the president of the National Assembly, Marcos Castillero, and sent him questionnaires through his press team, as well as on his cell phone: What was the reason why these payments were issued in full pandemic; What activities did the Assembly have? They were also asked about the functions of these personnel and how their activities are reported to the Comptroller's Office, since they indicated that they did not have a platform to facilitate it to the media. There were no responses. He added that he attended "different groups of people who present concerns and problems of the general population, make recommendations to bills" or, in the case of retirees, who presented "concerns about the pandemic, the issue of people asking appointments, the distribution of bags that many people demand… ”Peralta described as his functions, who is listed with other contracts for more than $ 41 thousand in 2016, 2017 and 2019. There are also relatives of politicians with contracts. This is the case of Mario Gálvez, brother of deputy Sergio Chello Gálvez, for an amount of $ 14,833. This is one of the many cases in which personnel from the now-disappeared form 080 migrated to form 172. La Prensa tried to contact Gálvez, called him and left him a message asking if he had managed his brother's contract and what his duties were, but he did not respond. <<Galvez.jpg>> Deputy Sergio 'Chello' Gálvez. Archive. Why did the Comptroller's Office endorse these contracts during the pandemic? According to the Institution's Supervision Directorate, "there is no provision issued by the Executive that, based on the austerity plan, allows the Comptroller General of the Republic to deny the endorsement of these forms ...". And on the call for austerity, he reported that it is up to the Government "to determine the rules to follow and we, as the entity that controls public finances, is responsible for monitoring that the spending that is made complies with the measures determined by the Executive." responded by mail. La Prensa asked the president of the AN what type of activities did the AN have in those months that coincide with the paralysis of the country that required such a number of contracts. He was also asked about the information required to endorse the contracts. Despite having received the questions by email on October 1, text messages and about 10 calls, the official did not respond. https://www.prensa.com/impresa/panorama/an-revivio-el-fantasma-de-la-planilla-cashback/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted October 8, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted October 8, 2020 Quote MEF: la planilla 172 es asunto de la Contraloría El Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas (MEF) indicó que la Asamblea Nacional reportó la estructura de cargos, pero no interviene en su aprobación. Mary Triny Zea 08 oct 2020 - 01:16 AM La negativa de la Asamblea Nacional (AN) de facilitar las funciones de mil 750 personas que contrató entre mayo y septiembre pasado, por $8 millones a través de la partida 172 –que ampara los contratos por servicios profesionales– es una vieja práctica. La Ley de Presupuesto indica que estas contrataciones de “servicios especiales” debe ser prestado por “profesionales o personal que no son empleados públicos [...] siempre que no se tengan cargos similares en la estructura de puestos de la entidad”, cuyos detalles deben enviarse al Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas ( MEF). Pero, por la negativa de la AN de describir las labores de este personal, es imposible saber si dichas funciones se duplican o no en la planilla de la Asamblea, de 3 mil 574 funcionarios, entre eventuales y permanentes. El MEF indicó que la AN cumplió con suministrar la estructura de personal requerida, con su debida clasificación de cargos, conforme al Manual de Cargos del Sector Público y el monto de los pagos mensuales y anuales. “No obstante, en lo referente a las contrataciones pagadas entre los meses de mayo y septiembre pasado [partida 172], éste tema corresponde a la ejecución del gasto y es competencia de la Asamblea Nacional en coordinación con la Oficina de Fiscalización de la Contraloría General de la República, por lo tanto, no interviene el MEF”, aclaró la entidad por correo. Alma Montenegro de Fletcher, exprocuradora de la Administración, dijo a Radio Panamá que malgastar fondos del Estado en una planilla estatal en pandemia no es correcto. En tanto, el diputado Miguel Fanovich indicó que se busca satanizar la AN. Esto es lo que indica la Ley de Presupuesto sobre la partida 172 de contratos por servicios profesionales o ‘especiales’. Asamblea: planilla 172, tres administraciones, un secreto Son de distintos partidos políticos y gobiernos, pero todos tienen algo en común: tres diputados que han ocupado consecutivamente la Presidencia de la Asamblea Nacional (AN) se han negado a detallar las funciones del personal contratado a través de la figura de “servicios profesionales”. Se trata del personal que recibe contratos de la AN –en su mayoría semestrales, también conocidos como cashback– para efectuar algún tipo de trabajo que se desconoce y que se paga con fondos de la partida 172. Fue en esta partida por ejemplo, en la que estaban contratados los mozos de corral del hipódromo durante 2011 y 2012, quienes, a cambio de prestar su nombre y firma, recibían entre el 5% y el 10% del monto del contrato ofrecido, sin tener que prestar servicio alguno a la AN. El resto del dinero retornaba al diputado gestor del contrato, según revelaron. La partida nuevamente ha cobrado notoriedad... y en tiempos de pandemia. Hasta ahora, esta planilla, de mil 750 personas, ha consumido $8 millones, el 87% de ese monto, desembolsado en julio pasado, durante el pico de la pandemia. Al analizar la data extraída de la Contraloría General de la República, La Prensa pudo inferir que la mayoría de estos contratos fueron concedidos en la provincia de Panamá. Marcos Castillero, presidente de la Asamblea Nacional. Archivo Amparada en la Ley de Acceso a la Información, La Prensa le solicitó al presidente actual de la AN, Marcos Castillero (PRD), una descripción de las funciones que desempeñan estas personas, información que es de carácter público, de acuerdo con lo dispuesto por la Ley de Transparencia. Sin embargo, la AN se excusó. Dijo que no contaba con “un programa que contenga el detalle de la información, tal como usted lo ha solicitado…”. Luego remitió al medio a la Contraloría, pero su portal digital tampoco revela la descripción de funciones solicitada a la AN. Una respuesta similar ofreció a este medio la diputada Yanibel Ábrego (Cambio Democrático) cuando ocupó ese mismo cargo (2017-2019). En consecuencia, La Prensa interpuso un habeas data ante la Corte Suprema de Justicia (CSJ), cuyo fallo fue a favor del medio. Yanibel Abrego, expresidenta de la Asamblea Nacional (2017-2019). Archivo La AN envió entonces un resumen del universo de los contratados, describiendo sexo y edad, menos sus labores. La Prensa reclamó el desacato, pero esta vez la Corte favoreció a la AN, por lo que la información nunca se pudo conocer. La solicitud de habeas data que se negó a responder Ábrego obedecía a una petición previa que había hecho este medio a su antecesor, el diputado Rubén De León (PRD), quien no respondió la solicitud de información. Al dejar la presidencia de la Asamblea (2015- 2017), la respuesta a la petición recayó entonces en su sucesora. Pero Ábrego no sólo no entregó la información solicitada, sino que durante su gestión intentó que la CSJ declarara inconstitucional el artículo de la Ley de Transparencia que establece las sanciones a los funcionarios que se nieguen a entregar la información pública. Rubén De León, expresidente de la Asamblea Nacional (2015-2017). Archivo ¿Por qué La Prensa solicitó información de esta planilla? Fue en el desarrollo de una investigación periodística, denominada La dudosa filantropía de la Asamblea, en la que decenas de entrevistados revelaron que la ayuda económica que ofrecían los diputados –a través de su personal de confianza– eran contratos de trabajo, pero que no tenían que prestar servicio alguno, aunque sí devolver hasta el 95% del monto del contrato. Tal revelación causó un escándalo, y una de sus consecuencias fue la drástica reducción del monto de la partida 172. El año pasado, terminó con una asignación de tan solo $800 mil, pero en 2020, la partida fue resucitada, y hasta el 22 de septiembre de este año, la AN se ha gastado la friolera de $8 millones en la contratación de unas mil 750 personas que ofrecieron servicios –que se desconocen–, pagados como “servicios profesionales”. Este personal, dicho sea de paso, no está obligado a prestar servicios en las oficinas de la AN. Solo deben entregar un informe con los resultados de su trabajo, al que la AN denomina “asesoría” o “servicios profesionales” o “consultorías” y “servicios especiales”, según la Contraloría. De hecho, para esta última institución, estos empleados eventuales no son servidores públicos, pues ellos realizan “servicios especiales”, en consecuencia, no tienen cargos en el engranaje gubernamental, afirma. En cuanto al pago por sus servicios, el cobro debe ir acompañado de la documentación pactada, “incluyendo los informes de avance, por lo que nuestra institución tiene [el] debido conocimiento del cumplimiento o no de los servicios especiales contratados por las entidades del Estado”, contestó por correo la Dirección de Fiscalización de la Contraloría. Es decir, tanto en la Contraloría como en la Asamblea, debería haber, al menos, unos mil 750 informes de “consultoría”, aunque este medio –ni ahora ni el pasado– ha logrado ver, y mucho menor leer, uno solo de estos informes. En julio de 2018, el diputado Leandro Ávila (PRD) dio un ejemplo de las antes llamadas “consultorías” que contrató a través de la partida 172 de la Asamblea. Quote Según la Contraloría –a octubre de este año– la Asamblea Nacional tiene a 2,302 funcionarios permanentes, 1,272 empleados eventuales, (partida 02), y unas 1,750 personas de contratos por servicios profesionales (partida 172) que, según la Contraloría no son servidores públicos. En total, son 5 mil 324 personas en el primer semestre. Se trataba de una mucama que trabajaba en Boquete para la expresidenta Mireya Moscoso, hermana de la asistente del diputado. Lo que hacía esta “consultora”, informó Ávila, “era recabar información sobre el sentir de la gente de su área y en Panamá [sobre el programa de la Beca Universal], porque los fines de semana viajaba hacia la capital”. Así, pues, teóricamente, un informe de su “consultoría” debe reposar en los archivos de la AN, así como el de otros miles de personas, contratados por los 71 diputados –a un costo de $85 millones– entre 2014 y 2018, cuando fue suspendida por el entonces contralor Federico Humbert. La decisión de Humbert de no refrendar la planilla cuando la suspendió en 2018 contrasta con la decisión de la actual administración de la Contraloría, que respondió a La Prensa que “no existe ninguna disposición emitida por el Ejecutivo que, basada en el plan de austeridad, permita a la Contraloría General de la República negar el refrendo de estas planillas sobre todo cuando contaban con la disponibilidad presupuestaria...”. En total, la institución tiene, hasta el presente mes de octubre, 2 mil 302 funcionarios que trabajan de forma permanente en la institución, según datos de Contraloría. Además, mil 272 empleados eventuales, pagados con fondos de la partida 02, y cuyas funciones (asistente administrativo, ayudante, mensajero, oficinista, etc.) sí se publican en la web de la Contraloría. Sumado el personal de la planilla cashback (mil 750 según data recabada hasta el pasado 22 de septiembre), el total se eleva a 5 mil 324, de los cuales, un tercio –como ya se dijo– no son servidores públicos, de acuerdo con el criterio de la Contraloría. La planilla 080 en la que estaban los promotores comunales y deportivos no cuenta con fondos, pero La Prensa encontró el personal de esta partida en la 172. Cuestionamientos El presidente de la Asamblea, Marcos Castillero, en solo un año de gestión (2019-2020), logró duplicar la cantidad de personas que trabaja para ese órgano estatal. Al 30 de junio de 2019, los contratados en la institución sumaban, en total, 2 mil 339, con un egreso en salarios de $3.5 millones. Pero para mayo de este año, el número de empleados se disparó a 5 mil 428, incluidos los contratos ofrecidos en plena pandemia. El incremento fue del 132%, que consumieron $8.2 millones en salarios. Esto, obviamente, sin contar con el personal de la 172, cuyos contratos empezaron a desembolsarse en mayo pasado desde la Asamblea. La Ley de Presupuesto establece que los “servicios especiales” o los contratos de servicios profesionales pagados con fondos de la partida 172 deben ser prestados por profesionales que no son empleados públicos, “siempre que no se tengan cargos similares en la estructura de puestos de la entidad”. Es decir, que en este caso tendría que ser personal que no se encuentre realizando las mismas labores que hacen los más de 2 mil 302 empleados permanentes ni entre los otros más de mil 272 eventuales de la Asamblea. Entonces, ¿Cuáles son esas labores que requieren que un tercio de los contratados por la AN no presten sus servicios en la sede de la entidad? ¿Por qué la AN requiere de mil 750 “consultores” y en qué materias específicas? ¿Dónde, exactamente, reposan los informes de estas consultorías? ¿Quién la ordena? ¿Quién las fiscaliza? ¿Para qué sirven? ¿Quién las lee? Estas son las preguntas que tres presidentes de la AN, de distintos partidos políticos y de diferentes gobiernos se niegan a responder sistemáticamente desde hace más de tres años. En reacción a las publicaciones de este medio, el diputado independiente Juan Diego Vásquez solicitó en el pleno del Legislativo una investigación de esta planilla y que sean reveladas las funciones de este personal, así como sus contratantes. Augusto Berrocal, asesor legal de la Federación Nacional de Servicios Públicos, fue abordado respecto a los recortes presupuestarios en algunas instituciones y, por otro lado, más contrataciones en la AN y dijo en TVN que el clientelismo político es el cáncer del Estado. El diputado Miguel Fanovich (Molirena), citado en Radio Panamá, dijo que “se continúa en satanizar a la Asamblea Nacional, sabiendo que el presupuesto utilizado es el otorgado por $107 millones”. Moderator comment: Below is an unedited automated translation of the above news article. Quote MEF: form 172 is a matter for the Comptroller's Office The Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) indicated that the National Assembly reported the position structure, but does not intervene in its approval. Mary Triny Zea 08 Oct 2020 - 01:16 AM <<distribution.jpg>> The refusal of the National Assembly (AN) to facilitate the functions of 1,750 people that it hired between May and last September, for $ 8 million through item 172 - which covers contracts for professional services - is an old practice. The Budget Law indicates that these contracts for "special services" must be provided by "professionals or personnel who are not public employees [...] as long as there are no similar positions in the entity's position structure", whose details They must be sent to the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF). But, due to the refusal of the AN to describe the work of these personnel, it is impossible to know whether these functions are duplicated or not in the Assembly's payroll, of 3,574 officials, between temporary and permanent. The MEF indicated that the AN complied with providing the required personnel structure, with its proper classification of positions, in accordance with the Public Sector Positions Manual and the amount of monthly and annual payments. “However, with regard to contracts paid between the months of May and last September [item 172], this issue corresponds to the execution of spending and is the responsibility of the National Assembly in coordination with the Office of Inspection of the Comptroller General of the Republic, therefore, the MEF does not intervene ”, clarified the entity by mail. Alma Montenegro de Fletcher, a former attorney for the Administration, told Radio Panama that wasting state funds on a state payroll in a pandemic is not correct. Meanwhile, deputy Miguel Fanovich indicated that he seeks to demonize the AN. <<RKDTQTM55FGUXA4LTRECVMPDRU.jpg>> This is what the Budget Law indicates on item 172 of contracts for professional or "special" services. Assembly: form 172, three administrations, one secret They are from different political parties and governments, but they all have something in common: three deputies who have consecutively held the Presidency of the National Assembly (AN) have refused to detail the functions of the personnel hired through the figure of “professional services” . These are personnel who receive contracts from the AN - mostly semi-annual, also known as cashback - to carry out some type of work that is unknown and that is paid with funds from item 172. It was in this item, for example, in which the corral grooms of the racecourse were hired during 2011 and 2012, who, in exchange for lending their name and signature, received between 5% and 10% of the amount of the contract offered, without having to provide any service to the AN. The rest of the money returned to the deputy managing the contract, as revealed. The game has once again gained notoriety ... and in times of pandemic. So far, this payroll, of 1,750 people, has consumed $ 8 million, 87% of that amount, disbursed last July, during the peak of the pandemic. By analyzing the data obtained from the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic, La Prensa was able to infer that the majority of these contracts were awarded in the province of Panama. <<Castillero.jpg>> Marcos Castillero, president of the National Assembly. Archive Covered in the Access to Information Law, La Prensa asked the current president of the AN, Marcos Castillero (PRD), a description of the functions that these people perform, information that is of a public nature, in accordance with the provisions of the Transparency Law. However, the AN apologized. He said that he did not have "a program that contains the details of the information, as you have requested ...". Then he referred the media to the Comptroller's Office, but his digital portal does not reveal the description of the functions requested from the AN either. A similar response was offered to this medium by the deputy Yanibel Ábrego (Democratic Change) when she held that same position (2017-2019). Consequently, La Prensa filed a habeas data before the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ), whose ruling was in favor of the newspaper. <<Abrego.jpg>> Yanibel Abrego, former president of the National Assembly (2017-2019). Archive The AN then sent a summary of the universe of those hired, describing sex and age, minus their work. La Prensa claimed contempt, but this time the Court favored the AN, so the information was never known. The habeas data request that Ábrego refused to respond to was due to a previous request that this outlet had made to his predecessor, Deputy Rubén De León (PRD), who did not respond to the request for information. Upon leaving the presidency of the Assembly (2015-2017), the response to the petition then fell on his successor. But Ábrego not only did not provide the requested information, but during his tenure he tried to get the CSJ to declare unconstitutional the article of the Transparency Law that establishes the sanctions for officials who refuse to deliver public information. <<De Leon.jpg>> Rubén De León, former president of the National Assembly (2015-2017). Archive Why did La Prensa request information on this form? It was in the development of a journalistic investigation, called The dubious philanthropy of the Assembly, in which dozens of interviewees revealed that the financial aid offered by the deputies - through their trusted staff - were employment contracts, but that they did not have to provide any service, although it does return up to 95% of the contract amount. Such revelation caused a scandal, and one of its consequences was the drastic reduction of the amount of item 172. Last year, it ended with an allocation of only $ 800 thousand, but in 2020, the item was resurrected, and until the 22 of September this year, the AN has spent a whopping $ 8 million in hiring some 1,750 people who offered services - unknown - paid as "professional services." These personnel, incidentally, are not obliged to provide services in the AN offices. They only have to submit a report with the results of their work, which the AN calls "advice" or "professional services" or "consultancies" and "special services", according to the Comptroller's Office. In fact, for the latter institution, these temporary employees are not public servants, since they perform "special services", consequently, they do not have positions in the government gear, he says. Regarding the payment for their services, the collection must be accompanied by the agreed documentation, “including the progress reports, so that our institution has [the] due knowledge of the compliance or not of the special services contracted by the State entities ”, The Office of Inspection of the Comptroller's Office replied by mail. That is to say, both in the Comptroller's Office and in the Assembly, there should be at least some 1,750 “consulting” reports, although this medium - neither now nor in the past - has managed to see, much less read, just one of these reports. In July 2018, Deputy Leandro Ávila (PRD) gave an example of the previously called “consultancies” that he hired through item 172 of the Assembly. Quote According to the Comptroller's Office - as of October this year - the National Assembly has 2,302 permanent officials, 1,272 temporary employees, (item 02), and some 1,750 people from contracts for professional services (item 172) who, according to the Comptroller's Office, are not public servants . In total, there are 5 thousand 324 people in the first semester. It was a maid who worked in Boquete for former President Mireya Moscoso, sister of the deputy assistant. What this "consultant" did, Avila reported, "was to gather information about the feelings of the people in her area and in Panama [about the Universal Grant program], because on weekends she traveled to the capital." Thus, theoretically, a report from its "consultancy" should rest in the archives of the AN, as well as that of thousands of other people, hired by the 71 deputies - at a cost of $ 85 million - between 2014 and 2018, when it was suspended by the then comptroller Federico Humbert. Humbert's decision not to endorse the form when he suspended it in 2018 contrasts with the decision of the current administration of the Comptroller's Office, which responded to La Prensa that “there is no provision issued by the Executive that, based on the austerity plan, allow the Comptroller General of the Republic to deny the endorsement of these forms, especially when they had budget availability ... ”. In total, the institution has, until the present month of October, 2 thousand 302 officials who work permanently in the institution, according to data from the Comptroller's Office. In addition, 1,272 temporary employees, paid with funds from item 02, and whose functions (administrative assistant, assistant, messenger, clerk, etc.) are published on the Comptroller's website. Added to the cashback payroll personnel (1,750 according to data collected up to September 22), the total rises to 5,324, of which a third - as already stated - are not public servants, according to the criteria of the Comptroller's Office. The 080 form in which the community and sports promoters were does not have funds, but La Prensa found the personnel of this item in 172. Questioning The president of the Assembly, Marcos Castillero, in just one year of management (2019-2020), managed to double the number of people who work for that state body. As of June 30, 2019, those hired at the institution totaled 2,339, with an outlay in salaries of $ 3.5 million. But by May of this year, the number of employees soared to 5,428, including contracts offered in the midst of the pandemic. The increase was 132%, which consumed $ 8.2 million in salaries. This, obviously, without counting the 172 staff, whose contracts began to be disbursed last May from the Assembly. The Budget Law establishes that “special services” or professional service contracts paid with funds from item 172 must be provided by professionals who are not public employees, “provided that there are no similar positions in the job structure of the entity". In other words, in this case it would have to be personnel who are not performing the same tasks that the more than 2 thousand 302 permanent employees do, nor among the other more than one thousand 272 temporary employees of the Assembly. So, what are those tasks that require a third of those hired by the AN not to render their services at the entity's headquarters? Why does the AN require 1,750 "consultants" and in what specific matters? Where, exactly, do the reports of these consultancies rest? Who orders it? Who controls them? What are they for? Who reads them? These are the questions that three presidents of the AN, of different political parties and of different governments have refused to answer systematically for more than three years. In reaction to the publications of this medium, the independent deputy Juan Diego Vásquez requested in the plenary session of the Legislative an investigation of this form and that the functions of these personnel, as well as their contractors, be revealed. Augusto Berrocal, legal advisor to the National Federation of Public Services, was approached regarding the budget cuts in some institutions and, on the other hand, more hiring in the AN and said on TVN that political patronage is the cancer of the State. Deputy Miguel Fanovich (Molirena), quoted on Radio Panama, said that "the National Assembly continues to be demonized, knowing that the budget used is the one granted for $ 107 million." https://www.prensa.com/impresa/panorama/mef-la-planilla-172-es-asunto-de-la-contraloria/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted October 9, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted October 9, 2020 Quote Marcos Castillero habla, pero no dice qué hacen los de la planilla 172 Según Marcos Castillero, presidente del Órgano Legislativo, la Asamblea nunca dejó de operar, pero no sustentó qué actividades tenía la entidad que implicara la contratación de mil 750 personas. Mary Triny Zea 08 oct 2020 - 10:42 PM Marcos Castillero, presidente de la Asamblea Nacional; Laurentino Cortizo, presidente de la Repíublica; y el magistrado Luis Ramón Fábrega, magistrado presidente del Órgano Judicial, en una reunión para abordar los problemas del país, se informó. Archivo El presidente de la Asamblea Nacional (AN), Marcos Castillero, defendió la reactivación de la planilla 172 –bautizada por los propios diputados como cashback–, pero sin revelar qué es lo que hacen mil 750 personas contratadas por servicios profesionales y que han consumido $8 millones del presupuesto de la AN. Dijo que el Legislativo no paralizó sus labores a causa de la pandemia, pero siguió sin revelar qué trabajos efectuaron ni las actividades que implicaron la reactivación del millonario desembolso. “Son funcionarios de la Asamblea que se le vencieron sus contratos en el mes de julio. Ellos apoyaron también en sus comunidades en la pandemia, apoyando el plan solidario de igual forma y, a la vez, apoyando todos los corregimientos de todos los circuitos de los diputados y, a la vez, también hacían funciones dentro de la Asamblea de diputados”, indicó Castillero el miércoles, tras ser abordado por los medios durante una reunión con el presidente Laurentino Cortizo y directivos del Órgano Judicial. Pese a decir que tenía el “sustento”, su explicación no responde las preguntas que La Prensa le formuló en unas 10 ocasiones. ¿Cuáles eran sus funciones? ¿Qué actividades tuvo la Asamblea para contratar a más de mil 750 personas entre mayo y septiembre pasado? Y, ¿cómo informaban a la Contraloría sobre sus funciones, si a este medio no le podían entregar la misma información? Los contratos por servicios profesionales o “servicios especiales” supuestamente son ejecutados por empleados ajenos al personal permanente y eventual de la AN, cuyo número se disparó a 132% en mayo pasado. El exdirector de carrera administrativa David Montenegro desmenuzó en la Ley de Presupuesto lo que se refiere al pago de los servicios especiales, y explicó que “los servicios prestados son de profesionales o técnicos que no son empleados públicos, siempre que no tengan puestos en la entidad”. En la estructura de la AN se detalla cada cargo, y si en el manual no se halla un servicio en particular, como, por ejemplo, alguien que repare aires acondicionados o se requiera de una consultoría, se contrata a través de esta partida, pero no es para contratar a un abogado o a un coordinador de planes, pues estos se nombran en la planilla del personal permanente. Alguien que ofrece un servicio profesional no marca su asistencia, sino que entrega un servicio, y la Contraloría debe certificar que ese trabajo se realizó para pagarlo, explicó Montenegro. “La responsabilidad es de ambos, del Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas y de la Contraloría General de la República (CGR). Si cuando va a refrendo no hay informe [...], no debería pagarlo. [Pero] si eso se hacía antes, ¿por qué ahora no?”, cuestiona. La Prensa preguntó a la CGR por qué no rechazó el refrendo de estos contratos. “No existe ninguna disposición emitida por el Ejecutivo que, basada en el plan de austeridad, permita a la CGR negar el refrendo de estas planillas, sobre todo cuando contaban con la disponibilidad presupuestaria que es uno de los requisitos a fiscalizar... máxime que estos contratos cumplieron previamente con el requisito de refrendo por parte de nuestra entidad”, respondió la Dirección de Fiscalización de la CGR. Corresponde al Gobierno determinar las reglas del plan de austeridad y a la CGR fiscalizar que el gasto que se realiza cumpla con las medidas determinadas por el Ejecutivo, señaló. La Prensa preguntó al contralor Gerardo Solís por qué en la pasada administración sí se canceló el refrendo de las planillas y ahora, no. Solís respondió: es “una verdad a medias –que oculta una parte que no se desea publicar –, no es una verdadera verdad”, enfatizó. La Prensa preguntó cuál era la omisión, para, en todo caso, corregirla, pero Solís no aportó detalle alguno. Respecto a la fiscalización de la CGR, La Prensa volvió a preguntar si tenían las funciones de estas mil 750 personas. También abordó un caso específico: cómo se sustentaba el refrendo de dos cheques de la partida 172 a favor del exdiputado Javier Ortega (PRD), por $24 mil 666, cuando figura también como director permanente de Relaciones Públicas de la Autoridad de Aseo Urbano Domiciliario. Ortega es uno de varios exdiputados y otros exfuncionarios y sus familiares que se encuentran como “consultores” de esta partida 172. “Ya ha quedado demostrado que, para ese trabajo para el que se está contratando a esa cantidad de personas, no es necesario en la Asamblea”, pero, en cambio, la entidad sí necesita de trabajo técnico, dijo la exdiputada Ana Matilde Gómez en Telemetro. Agregó que la cantidad de especialistas requeridos es menor al número de empleados de la planilla cashback. El problema –añadió– es de la estructura del Legislativo, y que este asunto, de raíz, lo deben resolver el Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas y la Contraloría General de la República. Moderator comment: Below is an unedited automated translation of the above news article. Quote Marcos Castillero speaks, but does not say what those on form 172 are doing According to Marcos Castillero, president of the Legislative Organ, the Assembly never stopped operating, but it did not support what activities the entity had that implied the hiring of 1,750 people. Mary Triny Zea 08 Oct 2020 - 10:42 PM <<GG6CNN3FC5FPDIHH3U7MLK6SNY.jpg>> Marcos Castillero, president of the National Assembly; Laurentino Cortizo, President of the Republic; and the magistrate Luis Ramón Fábrega, presiding magistrate of the Judicial Branch, in a meeting to address the country's problems, it was reported. Archive The president of the National Assembly (AN), Marcos Castillero, defended the reactivation of form 172 - baptized by the deputies themselves as cashback -, but without revealing what 1,750 people hired for professional services do and who have consumed $ 8 million from the AN's budget. He said that the Legislature did not paralyze its work because of the pandemic, but it continued without revealing what jobs they carried out or the activities that involved the reactivation of the millionaire disbursement. “They are officials of the Assembly whose contracts expired in July. They also supported their communities in the pandemic, supporting the solidarity plan in the same way and, at the same time, supporting all the townships of all the circuits of the deputies and, at the same time, they also performed functions within the Assembly of deputies " Castillero said on Wednesday, after being approached by the media during a meeting with President Laurentino Cortizo and directors of the Judicial Branch. Despite saying that he had the “sustenance”, his explanation does not answer the questions that La Prensa asked him on about 10 occasions. What were its functions? What activities did the Assembly have to hire more than 1,750 people between May and last September? And how did they inform the Comptroller about their functions, if they could not deliver the same information to this medium? Contracts for professional services or "special services" are supposedly executed by employees other than the permanent and temporary staff of the AN, whose number shot up to 132% last May. The former director of administrative career David Montenegro detailed in the Budget Law what refers to the payment of special services, and explained that “the services provided are by professionals or technicians who are not public employees, as long as they do not have positions in the entity ”. In the structure of the AN each position is detailed, and if the manual does not find a particular service, such as, for example, someone who repairs air conditioners or requires a consultancy, it is contracted through this item, but It is not to hire an attorney or plan coordinator, as these are named on the permanent staff roster. Someone who offers a professional service does not mark their attendance, but rather delivers a service, and the Comptroller's Office must certify that this work was done to pay for it, explained Montenegro. “The responsibility lies with both, the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Comptroller General of the Republic (CGR). If when you go to endorse there is no report [...], you should not pay it. [But] if that was done before, why not now? ”He asks. La Prensa asked the CGR why it did not reject the endorsement of these contracts. "There is no provision issued by the Executive that, based on the austerity plan, allows the CGR to deny the endorsement of these forms, especially when they had budget availability, which is one of the requirements to be audited ... especially that these contracts previously fulfilled the requirement of endorsement by our entity ”, responded the CGR's Supervision Directorate. It is up to the Government to determine the rules of the austerity plan and to the CGR to oversee that the expenditure made complies with the measures determined by the Executive, he said. The press asked the comptroller Gerardo Solís why the endorsement of the forms was canceled in the last administration and now, no. Solís replied: it is "a half truth - which hides a part that is not wanted to be published - it is not a true truth", he emphasized. La Prensa asked what the omission was, in any case to correct it, but Solís did not provide any details. Regarding the inspection of the CGR, La Prensa again asked if they had the functions of these 1,750 people. He also addressed a specific case: how the endorsement of two checks from item 172 in favor of former deputy Javier Ortega (PRD) was supported, for $ 24,666, when he also appears as permanent director of Public Relations of the Urban Home Cleaning Authority. Ortega is one of several former deputies and other former officials and their relatives who are as “consultants” for this item 172. "It has already been shown that, for this job for which that number of people are being hired, it is not necessary in the Assembly", but, instead, the entity does need technical work, said former deputy Ana Matilde Gómez in Rangefinder. She added that the number of specialists required is less than the number of employees on the cashback payroll. The problem - he added - is one of the Legislative structure, and that this matter, at its roots, must be resolved by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Comptroller General of the Republic. https://www.prensa.com/impresa/panorama/castillero-habla-pero-no-dice-que-hacen-los-de-la-planilla-172/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted October 20, 2020 Author Moderators Share Posted October 20, 2020 Quote Activists seek access to Assembly gravy train payroll Posted 19/10/2020 A group of activist citizens went to the Comptroller General of the Republic on Monday, October 19, to request access to information related to form 172 of the National Assembly, known as cashback because of a history of siphoning off a percentage of checks. Freddy Pitti, from Citizen Action, said that they request to know who was hired under this payroll, if they fulfilled the assigned work and what was the handling of it. "This form has generated many doubts regarding its handling," he said. The request adds signatures. “We don't just want to know if there was a duality in payments. We demand complete information,” said Pitti. Last week, the Comptroller's Office announced that it began an audit of the payroll. And in a previous evaluation, it determined that there is a duality in at least one hiring case ex- PRD deputy Javier “Patacón” Ortega who receives one salary as a consultant and another as a PR officer for the garbage authority. The National Assembly hired some 1,750 “consultants” this year - to whom it paid $8 million -, including politicians who lost the elections or relatives, under its 172 payroll which disbursed $8 million, in the midst of the “tight purse” pandemic. https://www.newsroompanama.com/business/activists-seek-access-to-assembly-gravy-train-payroll Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_02 Posted January 12, 2021 Author Moderators Share Posted January 12, 2021 Quote Probe of rip-off lawmakers continues Posted 11/01/2021 The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office will present a request to a guarantee judge to declare a complex cause for the investigations carried out against a group of former lawmakers for the alleged irregular handling of the payrolls under their charge. The complaints filed in 2018 by former comptroller Federico Humbert related to those deputies who were not reelected in the May 2019 elections. At that time, Humbert filed complaints against 11 deputies, whom he accused, among other things, of keeping personnel named on the Assembly's payroll and who at the same time provided their services in private companies. Humbert also alleged that some people who appeared on the forms did not go to their jobs. Sources told La Prensa that the petition is based on the large number of documents, statements, and procedures that need to be analyzed and carried out to determine whether the positions that appeared in the complaints filed by Humbert correspond to people who actually fulfilled their functions. The sources explained that to date the prosecutor's office analyzes the audit reports made by the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic, which led Humbert to file some 11 complaints against deputies and officials of the Assembly in 2018 for irregularities in the appointment of people that appeared on the Assembly sheet. During the presidency of the National Assembly of deputy Yanibel Ábrego (2017/2019), a group of auditors from the Comptroller General was prevented from entering the Legislature to carry out audits of the deputies' payroll. Investigations have been delayed due to the pandemic, as proceedings have been suspended, which has made it difficult to advance in the investigations. In a plenary session of the Court held on July 25, 2019, the magistrates decided that all the processes against deputies who were not reelected in the electoral elections would be referred to the Public Ministry. In August of that same year, the complaints filed against the deputies Athenas Athanasiadis, Aris De Icaza, Jorge Alberto Rosas and Rubén De León were sent to the Anticorruption Prosecutors. In the case of Athanasiadis, the comptroller Humbert filed on August 22, 2018 a complaint for alleged irregular handling of professional service contracts (form 172). According to the complaint, it allegedly had about 15 employees of the family business - Avícola Athenas - as beneficiaries of the contracts. In the case of former deputy Aris de Icaza, he was presented with three complaints, one in which he allegedly had cashed checks for cash as a result of a payroll and, later, the money would have been deposited in a personal account. The second for checks issued to a person who did not work in the Assembly and another for the appointment of 10 people on the Assembly payroll, but who at the same time work in a private company. Complaints were also filed, among others, against former deputies and the current deputy Francisco Alemán. Recently, the Supreme Court of Justice admitted a complaint against the deputy of the Democratic Revolutionary Party, Leandro Ávila, related to the handling of form 172. https://www.newsroompanama.com/news/probe-of-rip-off-lawmakers-continues-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Moderator_03 Posted February 20, 2022 Moderators Share Posted February 20, 2022 Quote Historical idiocy in the National Assembly Posted 19/02/2022 The career of historian was annexed by the National Assembly to the long list of professions that for its exercise it is necessary to have been born in Panama, in addition to having to obtain suitability to work in museums, libraries, etc. The initiative is nonsense from every point of view, but our deputies suffer from blindness, as well as of nationalism that borders on the ridiculous. Panama must have the longest, peripatetic and absurd list of professions reserved for those born here in the world. Historian is the umpteenth career or trade prohibited to foreigners, among which are security agent, medical visitor, laboratory technician, pharmacist, nurse, barbershop, and cosmetology, in addition to 22 types of engineering, including mining and even agricultural. What is the difference in whether a medical visitor is Panamanian or Argentine? Or that a historian is German? Doesn't their knowledge count because they weren't born in Panama? And while we're at it, why not nationalize the career of political marketing or soccer or baseball coach, or that those who play these sports in Panama are only Panamanians? Truly, idiocy has gone far – LA PRENSA, Feb. 19. https://www.newsroompanama.com/opinion/historical-idiocy-in-the-national-assembly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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