SOUTH AMERICA

Puerto Quetzal concession revoked

10 years ago

Guatemalas Presidential Commissioner, Enrique Godoy, revealed at a recent press conference that the government has sent around 30 contracts to the countrys Attorney General in respect of allegations of possible corruption surrounding concessions awarded for the expansion of facilities at Puerto Quetzal.

The concession awarded to Terminal de Contenedores de Quetzal (TCQ), which was then part of the Barcelona-based TCB Group, amounted to $255m, which has subsequently been linked to a web of corruption involving not only the former vice-president Roxana Baldetti, but also Guatemala’s previous president Otto Pérez.

Following investigations by the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (Cicig) and the Public Ministry, the country’s current president, Jimmy Morales, decided to revoke the contract.

A total of 12 people are facing corruption allegations, including Mr Pérez and Ms Baldetti, accused of receiving bribes from TCQ.

The concessionaire is alleged to have paid a total of $30m to ensure that it was awarded the contract, of which $24.5m is said to have been paid to the former president Pérez and a further $5m to a group of Argentinians.