Page Seven / La Paz
A total of 331 kilos of gold, with a value of 18 million dollars at the time, left the country despite its initial retention and after a questionable judicial decision and other instances. To date, the irregularities presented have not been clarified, denounced two legislators from the Citizen Community (CC).
Senators Cecilia Requena and Nelly Gallo indicated that there are several observations since the export of the metal was stopped, in December 2020, after the intervention of the Government of La Paz due to some irregularities in the supporting documentation.
On December 22, 2020, it was learned that the company Goldshine SRL was trying to export mineral resources in an irregular manner, so 16 gold bars (331 kg) were seized according to the data in the investigation notebook. .
This fact initiated the investigations against the authors for the alleged commission of the crimes of illegal sale or purchase of mineral resources and ideological falsehood, among others.
The company intended to export the gold without paying royalties and taxes.
Senator Requena pointed out that there were several irregularities in this process, such as the delivery of the gold in custody to the representative of the company that intended to extract the metal illegally.
On February 1, 2021, the return of the 331 kilos of gold was authorized based on the documentation generated by Senarecom and without the presence of the complainant and complainant. At the same time, Amit Dixit, Goldshine’s legal representative, was appointed as depositary.
Requena explained that since February of last year requests for a written report were requested from the National Customs, Senarecom, and the Ministry of Mining, but with no response. An inspection was also requested of the place where the gold was deposited because it was contradictory that deliver in custody to the observed company. “It was like giving the cheese to the mouse,” Requena compared.
In the progress of the investigation, it was shown that the forms with which the gold was intended to be removed, before the retention in December 2020, were validated in Potosí and Cochabamba, when they should have been recognized in La Paz. That is why the intervention of the Government of La Paz.
However, Amit Dixit filed a memorial on December 30, 2020 requesting the return of the mineral, attaching new review and verification forms.
It is given to him in deposit, without summoning the Government. According to the investigations carried out, it was found that the departmental Senarecom allowed Dixit to export the 331 kilos of gold with other “forged” documentation from La Paz. “That is to say, it ends up being regularized, which is irregular because Dixit had already tried to export illegally and it cannot be that it is allowed to go back and change the documents,” Requena said.
The person who supposedly authorized it was the former departmental head of Senarecom Gonzalo Villca. The Departmental Secretary of Mining expressed its objection on January 20, 2021 to the return of gold and requested that the tax requirement for the return and appointment of a depositary be annulled. The national Senarecom did the same on February 8.
On August 18, 2021, Juan Carlos Huarcaya on behalf of Senarecom requested the expansion of the investigation against Gonzalo Villca as a result of the validation of the export forms.
Gallo said that until July of last year it is estimated that 3,000 kilos of gold allegedly left the country illegally, which is much more than the retention of 331 kilos. This generates losses for the La Paz economy and the country, and warrants an investigation.
Requena and Gallo announced that due to the lack of response from the authorities, a request for an oral report from the Ministry of Mining was requested, but only a note was received stating that the authority cannot appear. “This is a scandal because gold continues to come out and this case may be the tip of the iceberg,” they said.
Esteban Pati, former Secretary of Mining of the Government of La Paz, reported that by order of the new prosecutors handling this case, two inspections were carried out to see if the seized gold was intact in a building. The different rooms on the first floor were verified and the person in charge said that she was unaware of the existence of the deposited metal and that she only knew Dixit by sight, but that he had not rented any room.
In the second inspection (another place registered in the process) no person could be contacted, since no one opened the door. “This shows with high probability that the 331 kilograms of gold seized in December of last year have left the country. In addition, the legal representative of the Goldshine company was able to leave the country,” said Pati.
Some irregularities presented in the process
- Illegal The former secretary of mining of the Government of La Paz Esteban Pati explained that the Goldshine SRL Gold Trading Company, on December 22, 2020 intended to export 331 kg of gold with forged documentation (Senarecom forms).
- Cause The charge is withheld and criminal proceedings are opened for the crimes of illegal marketing of minerals, material falsehood, ideological falsehood and use of a forged instrument. “Unfortunately, this case has been plagued with many vices of irregularities, for example, the prosecutor Ángel Héctor Saavedra orders through a Request on February 1, 2021, that the depositary of the seized material (331 kg of gold) be in favor of the main suspect of the commission of the crimes Amit Dixit”, he specified.
- Hurt According to Pati, this case is highly relevant, because it involves gold material valued at more than Bs 100 million. The Government of La Paz did not receive for this export that was intended to make irregularly more than Bs 9 million in mining royalties.
- Performance Pati indicated that on March 24, 2021, the commission of prosecutors, Ángel Héctor Saavedra García and Luis Fernando García Mamani, issued a resolution rejecting the process without investigating.
