The companies behind the controversial government food purchase

The incipient scandal generated from the massive purchase of food to supply the most vulnerable sectors with an expense of $ 550 million and involving a holding company closely linked to leaders of the current national government and also of Cambiemos.

Its about Group L, which brings together the firms Teylem; Foraim; Equis Fifteen; Blue Catering; Bagalá and Cook Master that they have Víctor Lusardi as their main reference and that he has been increasing his business thanks to close political ties both in Kirchnerism and in the alliance created by Mauricio Macri at the national level and, especially in the province of Buenos Aires.

In the case of Teylem, the Ministry of Social Development awarded him a large part of the controversial contracts published on Monday April 6 for the purchase of noodles, lentils, oil and sugar that was distributed in very few companies.

The Lusardi firm received $ 23 million for the sale of 340,000 kilograms of white rice, Long Fine or Medium 0000 type, in presentation of bags of one kilogram each, Don Marcos brands, and / or Molinos Ala at a unit price of $ 68. Another $ 56 million for 340,000 units of mixed edible oil, in 1.5-liter presentations, Indigo brand, for a unit amount of $ 166.58.

That is, almost $ 80 million was paid in this direct award made by the ministry that leads Daniel Arroyo and that aroused strong criticism for having paid for these foods up to 67% above market values.

For its part, Forain, the other Lusardi company, was awarded the purchase of 340,000 packages of 500 gram semolina noodles at a unit price of $ 84 for the Aldente and Pastasole brands and at a global value of $ 28.5 million.

To this he adds the sale of another 340,000 kilos of semolina noodles, Invicta, Aldente and Pastasole brands, in 500-gram containers at a unit cost of $ 84 and a total amount of $ 28.5 million.

In other words, the Group L company accumulated a contract for $ 57 million that should add to the $ 80 million for rice and oil, which ends up rounding off a contract with Social Development for $ 137 million of the almost $ 300 million that totaled suspicious operations.

But in addition to being intermediary companies and not food producers, the two companies, like the other beneficiaries of the tender, sold to the national government at values ​​much higher than those established by the Maximum Prices program that includes 2,000 items frozen as of April 6. .

An important benefit that Lusardi received, an old acquaintance of politics both nationally and in the province of Buenos Aires, where he has been systematically winning tenders as a state supplier during the governments of Daniel Scioli and María Eugenia Vidal without distinction.

In fact, there are several complaints filed against him by a group of national deputies in which he ensures that during Vidal’s administration, he was benefited with millionaire contracts for the purchase of food and cleaning items for school canteens and the prison system.

Reference is also made to a tender similar to that of Arroyo that was carried out by the same ministry when it was in charge of Carolina Stanley in 2018 and by which more expensive prices were paid than those set in Indec for a package of noodles that It was purchased by the State at $ 58 when the market value was $ 28.

Group L was also a contributor to Vidal’s electoral campaign after having been awarded several orders for the purchase of school food service supplies, created by the former governor of Buenos Aires in January 2017 under the name of School Food Service (SAE) .

Regarding the other companies that won the striking tender, the journalist Matías Longoni, who runs the Bichos de Campo portal, assures that only one is a manufacturer and the rest are all dedicated to intermediation.

According to his report, in which he clarified that he trusts Minister Arroyo’s honesty, Longoni indicates that there are six companies that will distribute the $ 550 million.

In addition to Teylem and Forain, they are Sol Ganadera; Copacabana; Alimentos Generales and MH Accurso, almost all with domicile in the City of Buenos Aires.
“A first reading is that the State overspends because it appeals to intermediaries and not directly to producers,” argues the note.

He also discovers that of the five intermediary companies, partners or addresses are repeated in two, such as Sol Ganadera SRL, which has the same offices on Corrientes Avenue 1327 4th and the same director, Federico José Toscano as Alimentos Generales.

There is also a single company that won in all areas. It is Copacabana SA, which will charge $ 188 million for everything. According to Longoni, its owners are called Assisa and one of them, Jorge, has been president and is now secretary of the Union of State Supply Companies.

From the Ministry of Social Development, they accepted purchases at higher prices than those established by the Government itself as reference values, but Arroyo argued that this was due to the fact that it is an extraordinary purchase of food due to the increase in people who attend dining rooms and picnic areas. , where assistance went from eight to 11 million people due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“The producers stood up, and faced with the need to really bring everyone, it was decided to buy them above the witness price,” the official explained from his twitter account, also rejecting the existence of corruption when explaining the reason why the State decided to buy the products the same despite the fact that the costs were above the reference prices.

However, the official explanations did not convince the social leader Juan Grabois, who on social networks raised his discomfort. “These are the things that make me sick and can not be missed. Some hdp bought noodles triple what they are worth and of poorer quality,” he said.

The CTEP activist and close to Pope Francisco said that they usually buy the package of noodles for $ 28 for which the Government intends to disburse 84 pesos. “It is a scam to the poor and I trust that Alberto Fernández is going to put the points to the person in charge,” he stressed.

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