February 1, 2023, 4:00 AM
February 1, 2023, 4:00 AM
Both audits that revealed a damage of $22.4 million inside the Santa Cruz Telecommunications Cooperative (Dimensions) were not taken into account as evidence in the oral trial for the millionaire robbery. The process had to start yesterday, but it was suspended because one of the four defendants did not have his lawyer present.
EL DEBER had access to the accusation presented by the Public ministry before the third investigative judge in precautionary criminal matters in the capital of Santa Cruz. In this writing, mention is made only of the documentary evidence and a partial audit that determined a damage of $us 7.7 million. But there is no mention of the two audits ordered by the Cooperatives Oversight Authority (Afcoop) when the embezzlement was discovered.
In February 2019, dimensions rrevealed abnormalities within the Quotas in Quotas program. This was an initiative that sought to retain members and users of the cooperative by making it easier for them to access products related to the services offered by the operator, such as televisions and computers.
The partner had to make a request and pick up the equipment and then pay for it indexed to the Cotas invoice. But a group of former officials made dummy requests and diverted the equipment to the informal market. These products were paid by the operator to the suppliers.
This situation generated a scandal that put the cooperative, especially its administration, in the eye of the storm.
In this scenario, Afcoop ordered Cotas to carry out an internal audit of the program Dimensions in Quotas since its creation in 2010. Two companies reviewed the financial situation of the cooperative.
The first expert report was made by the company Asimco S.R.L. and determined damage for $us 14.5 million, which is equivalent to Bs 115.5 million. On March 27, 2022, EL DEBER published a report disclosing the audit data, which reviewed the 2017 and 2018 procedures.
Then, on May 22, EL DEBER published another report in which it showed the results of the audit Realized by sidecaf who reviewed the contracts with 10 suppliers. He even analyzed Cotas equipment orders from suppliers, deliveries made to cooperative members, payments to suppliers, equipment balances in the institution’s warehouses. In addition to the reconciliations between the administrations 2010 to 2016.
The study resulted in a total damage of Bs 54.7 million, which is equivalent to $us 7.8 million. Both expert opinions established a loss of $22.4 million.
The two studies find responsibility in senior managers, who after the scandal were investigated and apprehended as the president of the Board of Directors of Cotas, Iván Uribe. In addition to other ex-executives.
More than twenty people were summoned to testify. But, according to the prosecutionthe total responsibility, of the millionaire robbery, falls on Hubert Gil, former Marketing Director, Wide Cow, owner of Media Market, a company that provides Cotas, Luz Marina Soliz Gutierrezwho worked in the Marketing department, and Orlando Cabrera Sensanodeputy director of Cotas Accounting.
Jimmy MontanoHu’s lawyerbert Gil, questioned that the Prosecutor’s Office focuses its accusation only against his client and people who were average officials.
For him, it is derisory to think that his client and the four accused they have carried out such a large crime without some high-ranking executive not being aware of it.
He questioned that the Prosecutor’s Office did not take into account in the evidence the two audits ordered to be carried out by the Afcoop to Cotas.
“The audits were not presented as evidence. Cotas should say why only middle managers are being prosecuted. And putting my defendant as the main author is not telling the truth, when there is a superstructure in one of the largest companies in Santa Cruz, it is not telling the truth, ”he said.
From Cotas they indicated that “all the considerations related to the trial are in the hands of the Public ministry “and that as it is a public order action, it is acted through matter prosecutors.
“Cotas since the beginning of the investigation has delivered all the iinformation required for the iinvestigationn, including audits, counting to date the Public Ministry with 12 legal bodies of evidence, ”the operator indicated.
For the institution it is prosecution the one that defines what elements of evidence are used for the trial.
DUTY called the prosecutor Oswaldo Tejerina who leads the investigation of this case, to find out why the audits were not considered as evidence, but said that he was busy and could not answer questions on the subject. The trial will resume on February 6.
