December 1, 2024, 4:00 AM
December 1, 2024, 4:00 AM
The opening of the oral trial for the ‘Ghost Ambulances’ case, which led to prison for the governor of Potosí, Jhonny Mamani (MAS), has not yet been possible despite six failed attempts to comply with that procedure.
The accusing party fears that the investigation will be extinguished.
The most recent attempt took place on November 29, but as happened on the previous five occasions, the court hearing was “rescheduled”; this time, for 10:30 in the La Paz Sentencing Court. It happened because one of the defendants appeared without a lawyer, while Mamani connected to the virtual platform through audio and not video.
“All the accused should have been at the trial. The chicanery that the defendants are committing puts this process, which is already slowing down, at risk. What worries us is that it will be three years without achieving a sentence, and we would not want this to be the argument for the defendants to request the termination of the process, this being the largest case of corruption in the history of Potosí,” said Assemblywoman Azucena Fuertes. of the Puka Sonko party group, which is an ally of the centrist National Unity of Samuel Doria Medina.
Jhonny Mamani has been in preventive detention in the San Pedro de La Paz prison since August 16, 2023, investigated for the irregular importation of a batch of 41 ambulances together with a Pakistani business group that operates from northern Chile.
On January 14, 2022, EL DEBER revealed that the Government of Potosí had acquired, through the direct purchase mechanism, those 41 ambulances. So there was a receipt document, but the motorized vehicles never arrived.
After the investigations carried out by the Prosecutor’s Office in La Paz and not in Potosí, the Public Ministry asked the judge for a 10-year prison sentence for the governor of Potosí for “failure to fulfill duties, uneconomic conduct, negotiations incompatible with the exercise of functions public and improper use of influence”, crimes that he could have committed when he signed the contract for the acquisition of these vehicles with a company with no experience.
On that occasion, the governor of Potosí assured during his defense that, despite the irregularities, there was no damage to the State. However, Mamani was accused of legitimizing illicit profits. At first, the authorities of the Potosí Prosecutor’s Office found no signs of corruption, but due to “social pressure”, that entity redirected the process.
The assemblywoman recalled that between Christmas 2021 and New Year 2022, Mamani was to receive the 41 ambulances intended for the fight against the pandemic. The supplier, Stefals Logistics, failed with the delivery, but to facilitate payment, a receipt document was submitted to the Ministry of Economy hours before New Year so that it appears in the period.
Fuertes also recalled that there were four contracts, the largest of which was for Bs 20,500,000 bolivianos for the ambulances, then a second with the same company for $us 100,000 for a luxury van for dispatch and two other contracts for double cabin vans. for the Bolivian Police, both for citizen security and the Special Force to Fight Violence.
“In this contracting process, despite the fact that the delivery of ambulances is not fulfilled, the guarantee policy for more than half a million bolivianos is not executed. What officials do makes a collective millionaire share. There were those who contributed 350,000 to achieve more than half a million,” he added.
Along these lines, departmental assemblyman Jaime Osvaldo Flores indicated that the accused are playing for the case to be extinguished because on January 31, three years of this legal process will be completed.
“We hope that it can be installed and we can definitely have a ruling in this failed case of the 41 ambulances,” he said.
Despite these accusations, at the time, former President Evo Morales defended Mamani’s management, calling it the best he had ever been in office and accused President Luis Arce of trying to behead the Potosí Government to put an authority similar to your block. The imprisoned governor is close to former President Morales.
