In a second attempt to obtain effective collaboration, One of the central accusations of businesswoman Sada Goray Chong is the alleged payment of bribes to officials of the Ministry of Production to change rules for the benefit of some companies in the tuna fishing industry.
Goray states that payments were made so that a group of Popular Action legislators, led by Darwin Espinozaissued a law aimed at reforming the regulations for tuna extraction. It is in reference to Supreme Decree 009-2022-Produce, published on June 30, 2022, during the mandate of former president Pedro Castillo.
However, the former general director of Fisheries and Aquaculture for Direct and Indirect Human Consumption of the Ministry of Production, Gaspar Cárdenas Infante, told a completely different version to what was expressed by businesswoman Sada Goray.
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In statements to prosecutor Zuar Villarreal Córdova, from the Special Team of Prosecutors against Corruption of Power (Eficcop), Cárdenas confirmed that modifications were made to the tuna fishing regulationsbut denied that it was in favor of a company or person in particular, but rather due to a need to update internal regulations and in compliance with international commitments on the extraction of tuna that is regulated by provisions of world organizations.
“As Director General of Fisheries (I considered that) and improvements were required. (And these are): (1) The issue of increasing the percentage of landing of foreign quota fishing, which fishes in Peruvian jurisdictional waters from 20% to 40%; (2) Hiring 50% of Peruvian crew on foreign vessels, since before it was only 30%; (3) Mandatory nature for Peruvian companies to manufacture or acquire vessels purely tuna fish,” he explained.
Between June 11 to November 6, 2022, Gaspar Cárdenas served as general director of Fisheries for Direct and Indirect Human Consumptionso he is aware of the origin of Supreme Decree 009-2016-Produce, published on June 30 of that year. Sada Goray alleges that bribes were paid.
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Former director Gaspar Cárdenas pointed out that Peru, being part of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (CIAT), had to apply reforms to national legislation in compliance with the agreements of this organization.
“(With the Supreme Decree) a foreign fleet flying the flag of its country is allowed to sign a fishing contract in Peruvian territorial waters. This is the most important achievement of the decree, because if (the national fleet) did not fish the quota awarded by the IATTC to Peru (…), this organization warned that it could reduce the quota that could eventually reach zero,” Gaspar Cárdenas told Eficcop prosecutor Zuar Villarreal.
Cárdenas added that at least twenty officials participated in the preparation of the aforementioned decree. of the Ministry of Production. If there had been any illicit payment as Sada Goray points out, it should have been for everyone.
“(The General Directorate of Policies and Regulatory Analysis in Fisheries and Aquaculture, the General Directorate of Fisheries for Direct and Indirect Human Consumption, the General Directorate of Artisanal Fisheries, the General Directorate of Aquaculture and the General Directorate of Supervision, Inspection and Sanctions) participated,” said Gaspar Cárdenas.
“In addition, two legal advisors and the vice minister Mario Cavero Polo. (All of us) were commissioned by the Minister of Production, Jorge Prado Palomino, in the month of June 2022 to prepare a bill to improve Supreme Decree 009-2016-Produce. The recommendations of the Peruvian Sea Institute (Imarpe) were also considered,” he highlighted.
Based on the statements of Sada Goray, who maintains that bribes were paid for the preparation of the indicated decree, prosecutor Zuar Villarreal directly asked former director Gaspar Cárdenas: “Did you have knowledge of illicit or irregular events regarding the modification of the tuna fishing regulations, Supreme Decree 009-2020-Produce?”
Gaspar Cárdenas answered: “None. Quite the opposite. The issuance of this Supreme Decree has improved 80% of the tuna fishery at the national level, whose projection is to make Peru a tuna fishing power.”
He Prosecutor Villarreal questioned Cárdenas about who benefited from the aforementioned decreeto which he responded: “The tuna fishing sector and the tuna processing sector on land have totally benefited, since they will receive more tuna to process.”
The testimony of former director Gaspar Cárdenas collides with the version that Sada Goray Chong has offered as part of the process of her new effective statement. She claims that a bribe of at least S/1 million was paid for the issuance of Supreme Decree 009-2020-Produce. If you do not corroborate this fact, your request for effective collaboration could be rejected.
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