Global Courant 2023-05-11 11:57:18
San Pedro Sula
The request for the Finance Secretary details on what the funds of the Security Fee intended for the construction of the La Acequia jail is one of the proceedings that the Special Prosecutor for Transparency and Combat against Public Corruption carried out in the investigation for acts of corruption against public admiration.
Since 2021, prosecutors have launched an investigation after newspaper LA PRENSA published a report on the abandonment of the construction of the penal center of The Acequialocated in Naco, Quimistan about five minutes from the CA-4 highway that leads to the west.
The investigation covers the period 2005-2018, time during which the construction of the prison began by the pro-construction committee chaired by Monsignor Romulo Emiliano.
“ They offered us supervision of the project, but I had to take a trip to Spain. “
Romulo Emiliani, bishop emeritus
Then that responsibility was taken away from them by the State, which took over to finish the work, to which they increased the budget. As part of the investigations, the Prosecutor’s Office requested by means of a letter to the secretary of FinanceRixi Moncada, the report of the expenses that were made in the construction of the prison, but it was known that Finance requested the Superior Court of Accounts (TSC) to carry out a forensic audit to reveal the destination of the budgets that have been approved.
statements
As part of the investigation, and according to the record, the prosecution took the statement of Monsignor Romulo Emilianiwho was questioned on November 15, 2021, after receiving a summons for which he had to travel from Panama.
3 keys to research
> The Special Prosecutor against Corruption requested a report from the Ministry of Finance to find out what the millionaire disbursements made from the Security Fee for the construction of the La Acequia prison, which has been abandoned since 2019, were invested in. > Following the request of the prosecution, Finance responded that the Superior Court of Accounts (TSC) would conduct an audit in which it will be possible to find out how the money allocated for the construction of the prison was invested and in addition to the people who received it and made the investments. > The Special Prosecutor’s Office for Transparency and the Fight against Public Corruption intends to trace the millionaire amounts of money that were disbursed by the State for the construction of the prison that began around 18 years ago and that is now abandoned.
Emiliani responded to questions from prosecutors seeking to find out how the millionaire amounts of money earmarked for the construction of the prison were invested and the reasons why it was abandoned.
Emiliani was clear in stating that the project began with the Proconstruction Foundationafter on May 17, 2004, 107 prisoners who were in cell 19 of the San Pedro Sula prison died as a result of a fire.
Before prosecutors, he affirmed that the construction project of the penal center of The Acequia It was valued at $25 million.
For the first stage of the Emiliani project, in his statement he mentioned that they received 10 million lempiras from the government when Manuel Zelaya was president, 20 million lempiras during the term of Roberto Micheletti and 5 million dollars (122.5 million lempiras) from the Tax of security.
He went on to say that when the fourth stage was already over and six pavilions were finished, the then Minister of the Presidency, Rigoberto Chang Castillo, arrived (government of Porfirio Lobo Sosa) and told him: “You are already very tired, you have already done a lot”, “and we replied that we were not tired, then he informed us that a private company would continue with the work”, he pointed out.
To begin the work, they held a handover ceremony, and according to Emiliani’s statement, 12 engineers arrived and the budget rose to 50 million dollars.
“They offered us supervision of the project, but I had to make a trip to Spain and I couldn’t take expenses, because I was going to be elsewhere and the committee didn’t accept it either,” he said.
To know
> 16 years ago, that is, in 2007, the San Pedro pro-development commission was created for the construction of the prison in La Acequia. > 7 years ago, in 2016, the project passed to the National Penitentiary Institute with the argument that they had to do a redesign. > 1,300 prisoners of liberty could have occupied the facilities that have been abandoned by different governments.
The State gave the work to the edge companywhich continued with the construction of the prison located on a 200-hectare plot of land in the village of La Acequia, where representatives of the same company have stated that they had to change the plans, since they did not meet international prison construction standards.
“We always believed that the best thing was to build a new prison because that one did not meet the conditions, however, the Government He thought that they had made a very large investment and that they had to finish it,” said Luis Fernando Laínez, executive director of Edge, in recent statements to THE PREMIUM PRESS.
He expressed that in 2020, they were told that the Security Fee it would not give more funds after being unemployed for two years and they had to do a dissolution of the contract for non-payment, which was made clear and they proceeded to liquidate with forensic audits.
inspect enclosure
After 18 years , after the plans to build the penitentiary center of The Acequianow the prosecution investigates crimes against the public administration, for which reason this week a group of agents carried out an inspection of the properties in Naco, Quimistan.
Prosecutors, private security employees in the compound were prevented from passing, so they had to ask the Police for collaboration to order access and carry out the proceedings.
“ We always believed that the best thing was to build a new prison, but the government had already invested. “
Luis Fernando Laínez, director of Edge
The investigations of the prosecutors are aimed at reviewing the financial reports of the people responsible for the administration of the funds for the execution of the project, in addition they are compiling documentation both from the Security Secretary and the Armed forces who at the time participated in the processes.
THE PREMIUM PRESS requested reaction to Finance Secretary and to TSC about the actions of the Prosecutor’s Office, but no response was obtained. Prosecutors will continue to cite more people involved in the construction process of the La Acequia jail and having the audit of the TSC They will also appoint an expert to carry out the analysis and, if there is an irregularity, accuse those involved.
