At a time when the National Government calls for austerity in public spending and advances a tax reform project to find resources to leverage social projects, a scandal shakes the Presidency of the Republic.
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In the last hours, a possible case of sumptuous expenses in the purchase of various household goods and appliances was known. at the residences of the President of the Republic, Gustavo Petro, and Vice President Francia Márquez.
Among the luxurious objects that were acquired to furnish the private homes of high officials include an 85-inch television with a cost of $27.4 million pesos, in addition to millionaire blankets and bedding, appliances and other items.
Faced with this controversy, Mauricio Lizcano, director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency (Dapre), pointed out that “it is a duty” of his office to order said acquisitions and that they were made under “a transparent and public mechanism.”
Mauricio Lizcano
TIME
Through his Twitter account, Mauricio Lizcano defended the acquisition of the equipment and assured that “furnishing private houses is a duty of Dapre after prior requests from the administrative heads of each house and all purchases, as in this case, are made through the Colombia Compra Eficiente virtual store, a transparent mechanism.”
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In effect, the Administrative Department of the Presidency of the Republic explained that the purchases are made to replace and supply household appliances for the private homes of the President and Vice President of the Republic.
The orders were executed last Friday, September 30, and totaled $173 million pesos.
Purchase order.
In addition to the 85-inch television, Dapre purchase order 96538 includes a goose down blanket for more than four million pesos; a stove covered in vitroceramic for seven million pesos, a vertical iron for $754,400 and a non-slip frying pan that cost $399,900, among other appliances.
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Several users of social networks have investigated the costs presented in the list of the entity Colombia Efficient Purchase and have found that several of these elements are at a lower cost in the market. The 85-inch Samsung Qled Neo 8K TV, for example, has a public commercial value this Monday, October 3, of 21 million pesos, compared to the 27 million reported in the Presidency.
BRIEFCASE
With information from ET
