The Prosecutor’s Office investigates 9 people for “sabatinas”

Ecuadornews:

The list includes Fernando Alvarado, Marco Antonio Bravo and his brother Carlos Bravo. Comptroller found contracts without the technical reports due. The State Attorney General’s Office conducts a preliminary investigation of nine ex-employees of the Secretariat of Communication (Secom) mentioned in a report from the Comptroller’s Office about the citizen links carried out by Rafael Correa.

The special examination with indications of criminal responsibility included the expenses generated by the Secom and hiring processes in the execution, production and assembly of the ‘sabatinas’ between June 2013 and May 2017.

The surrogate controller, Pablo Celi, sent the past February 6 the report to the Office of the Prosecutor for charges, if necessary. “This has to do with unjustified hiring, with products not received in the proper way and even with falsifications of documents,” he said.

Among those mentioned in the special examination include Fernando Alvarado, former Secretary of Communication and former Minister of Tourism; Marco Antonio Bravo, who was Deputy Secretary of Institutional Media of the Secom, in addition to his brother, also journalist Carlos Bravo, and six others, including former directors of Secom and suppliers.

Marco Antonio was until last week director of the news agency Andes. Alvarado is also investigated by the Office of the Prosecutor after the report of the Financial Analysis Unit (UAFE), which tracked a network of family businesses. There “unusual and unjustified” operations were discovered.

In the special examination carried out by the Comptroller’s Office on the ‘sabatinas’, the contract between Secom and Víctor Enrique Sarango stands out. The latter charged without counting the technical and legal reports.

Audiovisual technician, died in a traffic accident and was dedicated to monitor the media of Loja. According to the reports that were made in the special examination, the former official clarified that said activities were requested and ordered by the manager of the company Gota Azul, Carlos Bravo.

According to the Comptroller’s Office, Gota Azul had a contract with Secom for $ 189,000 for the production of documentaries, channels and reports. Carlos Bravo had an office on the ground floor of the Public Media building. The last floor of this property is occupied by Secom. Bravo made the videos for the sabatinas, as “the cynicism of the week”. (I)

Source: http://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/politica/3/la-fiscalia-investiga-a-9-personas-por-sabatinas