A work valued in more than S/194 million, announced with ceremony and first stone placement by the regional governor of La Libertad, César Acuña Peraltait has been under serious suspicions after revealing that it was awarded to a consortium composed of companies without experience proven in hospital infrastructure. According to an investigation of ‘Fourth Power’, the tender was won by the Hospital Virú Consortium, made up of JM Peruvian Constructors SAC, owned by the disabled engineer Joel Yangari Cartolinand LC & EC Constructora, from The young businesswoman Lucero Cocca Condori, 23.
Both companies lack history in the health sector and, according to the records, they had never before executed large works or obtained contracts with the State. Despite this, 55 bidders were imposed on the elimination of their main competitor for a rectifiable error. The award has generated questions for alleged irregularities and favoring, while regional counselors denounce threats to investigate these millionaire contracts.
Irregularities in the award of the work Hospital de Virú
The contract was granted to Consortium Hospital Virúcomposed of three companies: JM Peruvian Constructors SACowned by the civil engineer Joel Yangari Cartolin, LC & EC CONSTRUCTORAof the young businesswoman Lucero Cocca Condori23 years, and the foreign company RIVA SA INSTRUCTIONAL INDUSTRIAL FINANCIAL AND AGROPECUARIA BRANCH OF PERU. According to the State Supplier Registry, Ni Yangari or Cocca had experience in hospitals. In fact, the Yangari company only registers small services prior to the State, such as topographic and mechanical studies of amounts that did not exceed S/33,000.
In spite of this, JM Constructors obtained 49% participation in the consortium and LC & EC Constructora 50%, while Riva SA, the only firm with history in large works, appears with only 1% of the shareholder. For the state hiring specialist, José Trelles, this represents a serious risk: “It is dangerous because the company having 1% has no execution power. Those who will execute are companies without experience, and that directly compromises the quality of the work,” he warned.
The bidding process, to which 55 bidders were presented, ended with only two consortiums in competition. One of them, Consortium Bronteswas eliminated by not presenting the data of the common representative correctly, an error that, according to Trelles, was rectifiable. “Both companies had similar observations. While the Virú Hospital Consortium was allowed to correct twice, the other was excluded without option,” he said. It was even revealed that the regional government formally requested the Yangari and Cocca consortium to reduce the amount of its economic offer to adjust the budget, which represents another serious irregularity.
During the first stone placement ceremony, César Acuña declared: “I said that we do it yes or yes in our government. I had no profile, it had no file, but now we are doing it,” in reference to the commitment assumed since 2014. The statement, far from generating tranquility, was used by opponents as evidence of a political direction in the award.
To this are added complaints of regional counselors about death threats and aggressions after exposing irregularities. “I have been a victim of aggression by a manager of the region. I hold the Alliance Party for the progress of what can happen to me,” he publicly denounced one of the directors.
Faced with the media pressure and alerts of the Comptroller on other works awarded to the same companies – as the road corridor to Huanchaco for more than S/121 million -, Governor Acuña publicly requested an audit to the selection processes since 2023. However, the document was erased hours after the official account in the social network X, further feeding the suspicions of the transparency of its management.
