For the Comptroller’s Office, the Prosecutor’s Office should investigate President Mario Abdo Benítez for the sale of asphalt that his company makes to the contractors of the Ministry of Public Works, in order to detect or rule out that there has been collusion, influence peddling and acts of corruption in this modus operandi that allowed the presidential family to enrich itself in recent years.
In an interview with Universo 970 AM radio, Camilo Benítez, Comptroller General of the Republicreferred to the publication of La Nación, which exposed this Monday that the president Mario Abdo Benítez managed to have his asphalt distribution company has multimillion-dollar profits that in a single year (2021) increased 1,290% in relation to 2017.
In this sense, he commented that The President of the Republic must present his sworn statement at the end of his mandate and there his patrimonial growth will be seen. “Assuming that he continues to be a shareholder in that company, you will see the profit that the company had,” he said.
Regarding the possibility of influence peddling to influence public policies for their own benefit, the Comptroller mentioned that this is an area that exceeds the Comptroller’s Office and that it would be the responsibility of other institutions linked to criminal prosecution. “We rather focus on the patrimonial enrichment of the public official,” he clarified. “There could be collusion, influence peddling and acts of corruption, but that would correspond to the Public Ministry”, he added.
It’s news today: In 2021, Abdo’s asphalt company earned 13 times more than in 2017
“The company (stated by Mario Abdo) does not contract with the State, but rather provides (asphalt) to the companies that in turn contract with the MOPC. There is no direct link, so the case is deeper, ”he commented on the case of Aldia SA.
On the other hand, Benítez clarified that It is legal that President Abdo has left his son in charge managing the prosperous asphalt distributor for state contractors that he himself had declared his property until he took office.
Undoubtedly, the President did very well in the worst year of the pandemic. Almost US$ 13 million dollars (Gs 92,647 million) earned in a single year (2021) Marito’s asphalt company. Giving a figure of G. 273 million per day; G. 12 million per hour. The firm Storage and Distribution of Asfaltos SA (Aldia SA) registered in 2017 net profits for Gs 6,665 million, so the increase was impressive.