 "In
legal language we speak of capital at risk and recoverable funds.
The capital at risk is when we have become involved in value that
has been contracted and, in consequence, if INPREUNAH does not act,
the value could be demanded of us," explained the manager,
Warren Valdemar Ochoa (pictured right).
This institute is working with an current deficit of more than 500
million lempiras, and Ochoa says they have reduced the deficit in
2002 by more than 60 million lempiras. "This reduction in the
deficit is due in part to the growth of liquid investments, to the
construction of liquid reserves," and furthermore, "many
university employees eligible for retirement have not retired, and
this diminished the institution's obligations. But to do so by the
sacrifice of people's rights is not a sane or right way to do it."
In addition
to this huge deficit, INPREUNAH also suffers the financial damage
of the unpaid debt and interest from the University for more than
200 million lempiras worth of employer contribution that were never
paid.
The
Merendon Project, San Pedro Sula
The Merendon
Project is a housing project that was supposed to be executed in
2000 in San Pedro Sula (a city in the north of Honduras).
The execution
of this project was assigned, without heed for the legal contracting
requirements and without authorization from the Board of Directors
of INPREUNAH, to the National Engineers company. The National Engineers,
despite evidence of financial irregularity, received a budget of
14.5 million lempiras between March and May of 2001.
Another 7 million
lempiras was offered as reimbursement "for materials that never
appeared in any workshop," reported the "Social Retirement"
magazine, edited by INPREUNAH, in August of 2002.
The total cost
of the work, which never progressed beyond breaking ground, cost
40 million lempiras.
"We demand
to be released from this contract and we expect National Engineers
to pay the damages caused to INPREUNAH because of this contract,"
explained Ochoa.
"Our demands
are for the total capital at risk, for release from the contract
obligations and for repayment of all that we gave them," he
added.
Currently, the capital at risk in INPREUNAH is over 145 million
lempiras "due to irregular decisons made by the previous administration,"
actions that have been "totally investigated and proved by
the monitoring agencies of the State."
"We hope, given that we believe we have sufficient proof of
the damage suffered by INPREUNAH and of the irregular contracts
they signed, to recover not less than 70 million lempiras,"
said Ochoa.
Case against Capital Insurance
Ochoa has also started legal proceedings against the company Capital
Insurance (a subsidiary of National Engineers) for the restitution
of more than 18 million lempiras for insurance premiums that were
overpaid by more than 2.8 million lempiras plus the payment of life
insurance and personal injury claims that were rejected without
administrative or legal justification.
INPREUNAH is also denouncing other irregularities:
· 1) The varying application of interest rates resulting
from alterations in the renewal processes for policies of life insurance
and personal injury insurance between 1998 and 1999.
· 2) Changes in the lists of one group the insured from 3,954
to 10,479. INPREUNAH authorities say they have never had a number
of employees similar to that number.
· 3) Payment in excess of 20 million lempiras for insurance
premiums.
· 4) Violation of the rules of eligibility for insurance
plans established by INPREUNAH and the contracting of people who
should not have been permitted to participate in the system.
Demand
for the Surrender of Bills
There is judicial action against the company Office Solutions and
Equipment (ESO) to demand the surrender of bills for 5.5 million
lempiras for the maintenance of 60 photocopy machines in the university.
The demand requests explanation for the destination of 39,000 reams
of paper, worth 1.7 million lempiras. The demand also lists in question
one million lempiras worth of supplies, 2.4 million lempiras in
rented office equipment and 10.6 million lempiras for which there
is no official report.
Denouncement to the Public Ministry
In addition to pursuing legal action, the current INPREUNAH administration
says it has denounced those responsible for the anomalies to the
Public Ministry, and they express the hope that these accusations,
once documented by the Public Prosecutor, will be included in legal
proceedings against these individuals.
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