TEGUCIGALPA.
Marco Antonio Bográn, Former Executive Director of Strategic Investment of Honduras (Invest-H) i Alex Alberto Morales, Former administrative manager of the same institution, were arrested yesterday by the Public Ministry (MP) accused of having committed two crimes when making the direct purchase of the seven mobile hospitals.
On top of that, the MP also filed a tax claim against Axel Gamaliel López, Legal Representative of Hospitalesmoviles.com i Elmed Medical Systems Inc., For crimes of fraud to the detriment of the public administration.
After a long and thorough investigation led by prosecutor Hector Morales, which began execution on July 7, 2020 and lasted for nine consecutive months, the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Transparency and Combating Public Corruption (Fetccop), la National Tax Support Unit (UNAF) and the Technical Agency for Criminal Investigation (Atic) concluded that Bográn and Moraes committed the offenses of violating the duties of officials and two offenses of fraud to the detriment of the State of Honduras, For a total amount of L1,174.5 million.
The defendants were arrested yesterday while giving statements for another investigation process to the Prosecution.
At 2:45 p.m., a team from the Penthouse burst into the room where Bográn and Moraes were testifying for the overvalued purchase of drugs when an agent notified them that they were under arrest and charged with the aforementioned crimes.
Marc Tulio Castro, Bográn’s legal defender, said that everything was a trap, “he is cited for this case, but then he is notified that he is under pre-trial detention.”
The former officials were placed under the orders of the Criminal Court in matters of corruption at the 4:45 p.m.
The judge of the case then proceeded with the development of the hearing of the defendant’s statement, in which they were issued the measure of judicial detention and ordered that both be sent to the First Battalion Infantry.
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Case of mobile hospitals Buy. March and April 2020. On March 19 and April 2, the Government of Honduras through Invest-H paid in cash to hospitalesmoviles.com and Elmed Medycal Inc. more than $ 47 million for seven hospitals, three 91-bed and four 51-bed, to care for patients with covid-19. Dismissal. June 27, 2020. The Government of the Republic decided to remove Marco Bográn from the position of Executive Director of Invest-H, after the board of directors of the institution recommended his dismissal to the President of the Republic for the purchase of mobile hospitals. Audience. July 7, 2020. The Public Ministry summoned Marc Bográn to testify for the purchase of the seven mobile hospitals, he was suspected of crimes of abuse of authority, fraud, embezzlement of public funds and violation of the duties of officials. Failure. April 2021. Invesy-H admitted a year after the purchase of the seven mobile hospitals that they did not have the capacity and conditions to care for covid-19-infected patients, calling it “the worst scam.” |
He also scheduled for today at 9:30 am the initial hearing, where they will begin evacuating the various means of proof.
Similarly, the Attorney General’s Office began conducting the first international proceedings with US agencies to order the arrest of Axel Lopez, who has his residence in Miami, Florida, United States.
Authorities hope that he will be extradited to Honduras to answer for the crimes of fraud as a necessary cooperator of which he has been accused.
Oscar Chinchilla, Attorney General of the republic, expressed that any act of corruption is condemnable and reprehensible, but that the crimes committed in the framework of the pandemic exceed the capacity of indignation that all Honduran residents may have.
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3 keys on mobile hospitals Capacity reduction. Without going into operation it was decided to reduce the capacity of hospital beds by little space. Not suitable for covid patients. Experts acknowledged that mobile hospitals did not serve to care for covid-19 patients. Delay. Within a year of its purchase only two mobile hospitals have been fully installed, Invest-H says it is the fault of the provider. |
fraudulent purchase
In the framework of the beginnings of the pandemic a Honduras, In March and April 2020, Marc Bográn negotiated with López the purchase of the seven mobile hospitals worth $ 47,512,564 (L1,174.5 million).
“They made the purchase of these hospitals directly and fraudulently with Mr. López … paying one hundred percent of the price in advance, without this supplier having the required technical and financial capacity, without stipulating the granting the corresponding guarantees to safeguard the economic interests of the State and without prior authorization from the board of directors of Invert-H“, The prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
The Prosecutor’s Office also noted that according to financial information obtained by authorities of United States, Axel López to obtain, only to serve as an intermediary, profits in excess of $ 20 million in exchange for delivering to the State the seven hospital units.
Biomedical reports and expert opinions issued by experts and inspections concluded that the hospital premises do not meet the requirements for the isolation and treatment of people affected by the coronavirus, causing “enormous damage to the health of the Honduran people and the public heritage “.
the Public Ministry reported that “the investigation into this fact continues to establish the participation and responsibility of other people involved in the commission of crimes.”
Hospitals are not fit
Mobile hospitals purchased by the state and used to care for the population affected by the covid-19 virus were useless for pandemic.
Recently, the audit committee of Invest-H recognized that mobile hospitals are not suitable for treating coronavirus patients.
José Ernesto Leva, chairman of the audit commission, acknowledged that they are not technically fit to deal with the pandemic of the covid19.
“We received from Axel López countless promises that hospitals would be installed in time and form, which made us give installation promises that we do not fulfill, but do not fulfill because it is the fault of Invert-H“But from the provider who never complied,” said Leva Bulnes. To date, only the mobile hospital that was installed in San Pedro Sula is operating and caring for patients with covid-19, but no with the promised capacity of 91 beds.
the mobile hospital of Tegucigalpa was determined that it would serve to alleviate the surgical delay of the School Hospital and not to care for patients with the virus.
The remaining five mobile hospitals they continue being installed in Olancho, Copán, the Paradise, Choluteca and Atlantis, without knowing details of when they will be ready, a year after their purchase; although it is known that they will not serve to care for the sick with the virus.