The Ministry of Housing and Territorial Planning (MVOT) is currently immersed in an exhaustive administrative investigation with the aim of clarifying the procedures used in the allocation of housing units and determining whether discretion has been incurred during said process, during the administration of Irene Moreira, today minister.
This situation has given rise to an intense debate within the ranks of Town meetingbecause the current Director of Housing, Jorge Cerettawho continues in his position, is a trusted person of former minister Moreira.
Ceretta, who has an accounting background, would have had participation in the adjudication of the files and would also have drafted the internal protocols to handle these types of requests. In August 2022, an email was issued by the National Housing Directorate (Dinavi), addressed to officials from different divisions, presenting a new approach for the analysis of housing assignment cases.
Said communication was accompanied by a circular detailing the procedures to be followed for direct assignments in the housing complexes.
The document, which is signed by Ceretta, establishes seven key points that describe the different stages of the process, designating Dinavi as the main division in charge of managing direct assignment cases. These points include the receipt of requests by the authorities and secretariats of the MVOT, the responsibility of contacting the families and submitting reports within a maximum period of 15 days, as well as making final decisions, which fall exclusively on Dinavi and in the minister of duty.
Assignments by hand that ended in the fall of Moreira
The first case of discretionary assignment carried out by Moreira in favor of a Cabildo Abierto militant came to light on May 3, unleashing a political storm that led to the summons of Moreira by the president and the secretary of the Presidency, in order to to explain the legal framework that supported its action.
Subsequently, Moreira submitted his resignation and revealed the existence of a sort of “quota” of homes reserved for direct assignment. Moreira reportedly gave the president an additional list of other four “exceptional situations” in which you used this quota reservationincluding the case of the former domestic employee of the then minister.
Despite the fact that Moreira stated that it was limited to five cases of discretionally assigned housing, later two other cases were made known, one in Pando and another in Tacuarembó. In the case of Pando, the family finally rejected the house and returned it to the ministry. These events have generated intense controversy and have led to questions about Ceretta’s role in these decisions.
Within Cabildo Abierto, there are divergent opinions on the matter. Some believe that Ceretta should remain in her position, relying on a 2009 resolution that endorses her performance. However, others consider it difficult to understand that Moreira has resigned and that Ceretta, who had an active participation in these decisions, should not step aside. Some leaders ask to wait for the results of the administrative investigation to determine the responsibilities and take the corresponding measures.
