After the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem), in its capacity as president and majority shareholder of the General Meeting of Shareholders of Petroperú, will order the Ministry of Economy to give its full support to the current management of the company, the office led by Oscar Graham rejected the invitation and counterattacked.
Strong defense of the MEF
According to official letter 276 addressed to Mario Contreras, president of the state company’s board of directors, the MEF alleges that the procedure, deadlines, publications and formalities (provided for in the Petroperú statute) were not complied with. “There has been no prior coordination, much less any consensus on point 1 of the agenda.”
Point 1 on the agenda, as reported by the Minem the day before, was precisely the approval “of absolute support in favor of Petroperú, by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Given this, yesterday emphatically stated that “we consider it legally inadmissible to include as part of the agenda of a general meeting of shareholders the approval of a binding action for any public entity, without taking into account its powers, or the legal system that regulates them within the framework of their respective autonomy (…) In this sense, considering that the call does not comply with the provisions contained in the bylaws of Petroperú, we inform you that we will not attend it”.
Once this statement was known, cerronista voices such as that of ex-premier Guido Bellido demanded the dismissal of the head of the MEF. “A trusted public official should not be against a state company, it is sabotaging the implementation of government policy. On the day, the Minister of Economy must be dismissed for being against the president and the Government, ”exhorted the also congressman for Peru Libre.
It was learned that the General Meeting of Shareholders of Petroperú, where the Minem has three seats and the MEF two, was not held, since it was a Universal Meeting that would not have 100% shareholder participation.
The context
During the last two weeks, the agencies Fitch and Standard & Poor’s (S&P) downgraded Petroperú’s rating grade. The S&P rating agency did it from BBB- to BB+, that is, to the degree of speculative debts or “junk”. This as a product of the lack of financial transparency and the weakening of governance, coupled with the uncertainty about the company’s financial statements in the 2021 management.
It is for this reason that in recent days different instances have urged the Executive -in its capacity as owner of Petroperú- to take corrective measures. Thus, for example, the Energy and Mines Commission of Congress demands the dismissal of Hugo Chávez as general manager of Petroperú.
For its part, the Comptroller General of the Republic announced that it has summoned the heads of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), Oscar Graham, and the Ministry of Energy and Mines, Carlos Palacios, to explain about the fall in the rating from Petroperu.
For former Minister of Economy Alonso Segura, the negligent management of finances and allegations of corruption could lead the company to bankruptcy.
“The rating downgrade could trigger a series of financial consequences for the company. And with the allegations of corruption of high officials, audits are required and that takes time. No prestigious auditor can issue financial statements, which would violate conditions with creditors of Petroperú for 4.00 million dollars. Debts due to negligent handling would come due, that is at risk in the short term, ”she said in an interview with RPP.
They line up the artillery to the Comptroller
The responsibility for the crisis that Petroperú has been going through is a consequence of the delay generated by the Comptroller General of the Republic regarding the audit of the financial statements for the year 2021, requested in July 2021.
This is the tripartite position taken by the state oil company, the Ministry of Energy and Mines (Minem) and also from the government caucus, Peru Libre.
From the seat of Congresswoman Margot Palacios, last Friday the 18th, a constitutional lawsuit was filed against the Comptroller General of the Republic, Nelson Shack, “for violation of the Constitution, serious lack of functional duties and crimes committed by public officials, for the following factual and constitutional grounds.” This would have to go through the Standing Committee.
According to the document sent to the president of Congress, María del Carmen Alva, the complaint is based on the concurrence -by Shack- of negligent and malicious conduct against the functional duties indicated in the Constitution, against the businesses of the republic and the interests of the common good, to the detriment of the state company Petroperú.
Last Tuesday, March 15, the Comptroller reported on the new public contest to choose the auditing company to review Petroperú’s financial statements.
MEF rejected invitation to meeting
For the MEF, the forms, deadlines and legal order of the meeting requested by the Minem were not respected.
Segura: “I would remove the general manager”
The scenario that Petroperú faces would also impact the treasury, since the State would come out to rescue it, explained former Minister Segura. “The president must instruct the Minem to stop supporting those people from Petroperú. I would remove the general manager of Petroperú”, he stated.
This Monday, March 21, the 48-hour national strike begins, called by the administrative workers of Petroperú. They demand the impeachment of Hugo Chavez.
They denounce the controller Shack
Bancada de Perú Libre filed a constitutional complaint against Nelson Shack for the Petroperú case.
Source: Larepublica
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