According to Arcsa, this batch of more than 1 million units of cookies and 400,000 strains are part of the School Feeding Program of the Ministry of Education.
That one of the warehouses in which more than a million units of biscuits and 400,000 expired washes were found since 2017 was leased since September 5 of that year to Pablo RG, legal representative of the company Moceprosa SA, but that at There was no payment for almost three years, a tenancy lawsuit was started in which in March of this year the space was returned.
That is the version of Mario Díaz, judicial attorney for the owner of the warehouse located in the Riobamba Industrial Park. This week, representatives of the National Agency for Health Regulation, Control and Surveillance (Arcsa), the Prosecutor’s Office and the Chimborazo Police Department made the finding.
According to Arcsa, that lot found was part of the School Feeding Program (PAE) of the Ministry of Education.
Díaz maintained that his client did not know that expired food products were being stored there, that he limited himself to leasing the warehouse for which, according to the contract, he had to charge $ 2,007 per month.
More than one million cookies and 400,000 lanes expired since 2017 were detected in Riobamba wineries; according to Arcsa, lot belongs to the school feeding program
But, he added, as the tenant only made the payment for a few months, the lawsuit was filed, despite the fact that on one occasion it offered that the Education portfolio would pay for the products.
The case was brought by the Civil Judge Kerly Alarcón and on March 11 of the current year the sentence was issued in which, after the delivery of the warehouse, the payment of the rental pensions (rental amounts) was ordered. Díaz said that when the lawsuit began, the debt was $ 52,138.40, a settlement that must be updated.
He reported that after that, on August 26, the Civil Judge ordered that the delocking be carried out with the judicial depositary. There, he added, they were surprised when they saw that inside the premises there were a large number of rats, a situation that made it impossible to enter said space.
Given this, he commented that poison was put to kill rodents and clean the place. After that, with the judicial depositary and the police they went to verify what was there and identified the products that bore the logo of the Ministry of Education and the PAE.
“Upon seeing that, the judicial depositary said, I cannot vacate,” said the legal professional, adding that the eviction could not be carried out because the ship was locked.
He called for a quick and urgent investigation to be carried out in order to know who are the partners of the company that leased the warehouse, and to know if the product was canceled by the State, for which the Comptroller’s Office must act .
New management
Mario Díaz explained that after verifying the products he went to Health to intervene and that the answer was that they were not competent, that they sent him to the National Agency for Regulation, Control and Sanitary Surveillance (Arcsa), where when presenting the complaint either had a favorable response, according to him.
He said that for that reason he went again to the Civil Judge to officiate the officials in order for them to act, because otherwise they would fall into non-compliance with decisions of the competent authority, according to article 282 of the Comprehensive Organic Criminal Code (COIP).
He questioned that in the operation, carried out in the middle of the previous week, Arcsa and the Chimborazo Police Department said that they carried out the unlocking, as he stressed that with his client they have been knocking on doors for a long time without having an answer.
Ministry of Education investigates how the purchase of food found in Chimborazo and expired 4 years ago was made
For his part, Cristian Tamayo, Arcsa zonal coordinator, said that the request of the Civil Judge was received on November 11 and that the action was immediate and timely in less than fifteen days, which is different from the sentence which issued in March.
He reiterated that in the operation of November 24 in the place, 1’008,000 units of biscuits and of laundry or oatmeal were found, 441,640 units, all expired since 2017, which cannot be sold because they are not suitable for human consumption and that The authority must define the legal actions that allow to find those responsible in the case of direct damage to the State and that the chain of custody must be given through the authorities.
The official mentioned that the Civil Judge was informed that he requested the intervention of Arcsa to launch or evict some of the assets, as well as that the Prosecutor’s Office and Comptroller’s Office were informed in order to start the corresponding processes to find those responsible in the event of an infraction or criminal offense.
Tamayo explained that by complying with the judge’s provision, it was evidenced that the premises were leased by the Moceprosa company and that having access to the documentation shows that there are two lease contracts that could link this company in a certain way.
This newspaper tried to locate the representatives of the company, but until the afternoon of this Saturday it was not feasible to establish contact. (I)
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
