Page Seven Digital
The former mayor of La Paz Luis Revilla denounced this Sunday that some neighborhood leaders involved in the burning of the 66 PumaKatari buses, in November 2019, intend to cover up that fact with a narrative of an alleged illegal purchase of the buses, based on four lies.
“They have been inventing lies about our PumaKatari and its purchase process in 2012, all with the aim of inventing another story, another narrative, to make the burning of 66 buses that did happen in 2019 disappear. The people who accuse us having done illegal things in 2012, imagine yourself, you are the ones who are still walking freely through the streets now,” Revilla said through videos posted on his social networks.
The Prosecutor’s Office activated a process against Revilla at the complaint of the neighborhood leader Jesús Vera, who accused the former mayor of an alleged overpricing in the purchase of PumaKatari buses. Vera is one of those accused of burning the buses, after the resignation of then President Evo Morales.
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The ex-burgomaster said that there are four lies behind the complaint against him. The first is an alleged overpricing. He explained that an international public tender was held in 2012 and from five companies that applied, it was awarded the lowest price and the best quality, after reviewing reference prices made by international cooperation.
The second lie has to do with the supposed expense of the money collected for insurance as a result of the burning of the Pumakatari. Revilla pointed out that “luckily the buses that burned had insurance” and with the money returned by the insurance, another international tender was made to replace those buses. He announced that part of the advance was paid and the rest was left in the accounts of the Autonomous Municipal Government of La Paz to complete the payment, once the new buses arrive.
The former mayor said that the third lie is to say that there are no studies of the bus and that the logos were only registered in 2017. He clarified that there are studies and the buses have the same design, because they are the product of a thesis done at the Catholic University Bolivian in 2012.
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Revilla mentioned a fourth lie based on audios circulating about illegal meetings. He indicated that he held several meetings to see the issue of insurance money and the way to promptly replace the buses. Consequently, in the end, an international public tender was chosen so that the purchase of the buses could be awarded.
“Let’s not be fooled, they are trying to change reality, they are trying to create another story, to hide the story that they burned our buses, fabricating a story of illegalities around the purchase of the buses,” Revilla remarked.
After his explanations, the former mayor published documentation related to the subject and said that he will also demonstrate with documents before the Prosecutor’s Office that the complaint against him has no basis.
