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Apart from the 11 municipalities where Itelecom would have bribed public officials in exchange for winning bids for lighting fixtures, the company directors reported two cases where they tried without success: La Florida and Lo Prado.
This is how the commercial director and partner of Itelecom, Ricardo Rodríguez, declared to the prosecution: “In 2020 Carlos Frinz or something similar, owner of the International Motel in Florida and the company Ideas y Proyectos SA, had relationships and contacts with the mayor ( Rodolfo) Carter (former UDI) and I know that they met in Carlos Frinz’s office, which was connected by an underground tunnel between the motel and this man’s office, a meeting in which, in addition, the mayor’s team of advisers and Pedro Guerra (manager of Itelecom tenders). All this Guerra told me. He was struck by how Carlos Frinz had power over the mayor ”.
He explained that the owner of Itelecom Marcelo Lefort, Guerra, Carter, the Secpla administrator and the directors met: “It was to analyze the Florida project, which did not prosper.”
Consulted by Third about this supposed encounter, Carter acknowledged meetings, but ruled out irregular events. “I am very interested in this being clear. Everything to do with Itelecom is poisoned. Our relationship with them dates back to 2018 when they asked for a lobby meeting in the municipality. Lefort came to tell us that they won the tender in Las Condes in lighting. With that presentation, one is confident, because it is a commune that has a mayor who is not going to be stained, “he said.
In this context, the mayor went to see the lights: “We liked the project and we asked how it worked, but at some point they suggested that they had to request a loan from the IDB. In a second meeting they asked us for a $ 1.5 billion advance. We told them that it was not possible, because the market has many bidders, that we could not pay this advance and we closed this conversation ”.
According to Carter, “they kept calling, but we reiterate that we didn’t. I was bothered by the change in conditions and that they pressed us asking for money beforehand. We told them that the conditions were the same for everyone and that there should be a proper tender, and that’s how it happened. Enel was awarded the process by 36% less than what Recoleta paid ”.
In relation to Fritz, he explained that “in 2019, when the 50th anniversary of the man on the Moon was completed, we wanted to install a replica of Saturn 5 at Paradero 14, and a businessman from the commune who has experience in manufacturing of tubes manufactured and installed the rocket. It was in July, but August, September passed … and the Works Department asked him to withdraw it and it started to get complicated. We asked this person for a meeting and to withdraw it, because the Comptroller’s Office was going to ask us ”. The mayor said that in one of those meetings with businessman Carlos Fritz was Lefort, “whom I had already met via lobby in 2018. They introduce us again and he reiterates why we don’t want to deal with them, and I tell him that I can’t to give privilege to a company that charges me an advance of $ 1,500 million, if it wants to participate, it should do it like everyone else.
According to Carter, “if there’s one thing I’m afraid of, it’s lights and trash. And there we are. I’m surprised by this because Lefort gave us the impression that he was technically savvy in luminaires, respectful and never mentioned anything about uneven silver ”.
Another of Itelecom’s offers was intended to try to win the project in the Municipality of Lo Prado. Itelecom’s bidder, Pedro Guerra, said that ex-mayor Gonzalo Navarrete (PPD) was offered a bribe to convince mayor Maximiliano Ríos (PPD) to elect Itelecom, but the operation did not prosper: “This process was not awarded, it was offered to pay to get the award. The offer was made by (Cristián) Ureta (manager of Itelecom) to Gonzalo Navarrete. We knew there was a flaw in the simulation and Paul Pacheco (a former Energy Ministry official under investigation for bribery) warned us. In the Lo Prado offer, Lefort asked Ureta to convince the mayor through Navarrete to ask for a resimulation. Ureta told us that the mayor wanted another company ”.
He added that “as far as I know there were no bribery payments in this tender.”
Consulted by ThirdNavarrete said that “there was neither offer nor payment. Cristián Ureta called me, but I clarified that I had no relationship with the municipality ”. Meanwhile, Ríos indicated that “I have never met with any representative or intermediary of Itelecom, nor with the other company that participated in the tender. The bidding process complied with all legal, administrative and probity standards. The tender was declared void and was not awarded to any company ”.
Rodríguez also explained that it was Lefort who told him that he had reached an agreement with Pacheco to help them win tenders: they would pay him $ 5,000 per luminaire that was awarded. According to Rodríguez, he received $ 180 million in a cash bag.
The plaintiff lawyer in the case Remberto Valdés, who represents six councilors of Chillán from various political parties, described the defendants as “an illicit association, in which there is a criminal structure that is directed by Lefort that has collaborators, with hired people of the political world as operators to be able to bribe public officials in the Ministry of Energy ”. He added that “that is why we have filed a criminal complaint for illicit association and we are also requesting the formalization of a significant number of people.”
