No conflict of interest on Doporto - Marzam case: Huacuja Betancourt
MEXICO CITY, Dec. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The statements published on March 11, 2019, in which it is assured that the Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS, by its acronym in Spanish) bought medicines for more than 526 million pesos to the company Marzam, pointing out an apparent conflict of interest, were stated as unsupported information. This was confirmed by Sergio Eduardo Huacuja Betancourt, Coordinator of the Anti-Corruption Committee of the Mexican Bar Association.
In the publication, it was pointed out that from 2015 to 2018, the IMSS bought medicines from the pharmaceutical company Marzam owned by Luis Doporto Alejandre, son of Hector Doporto Ramirez. Doporto Ramirez served as Technical Advisor of the institution, and, according to the article, favored and multiplied considerably the contracts granted to the pharmaceutical company.
According to the "OECD Guidelines for Managing Conflict of Interest in the Public Service," presented by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, OECD, as well as in the "Guide to identify and prevent behaviors that may constitute conflicts of interest in public servants," published in 2016 by the Unit Specialized in Ethics and Conflict Prevention of Interest, there are three classifications of conflict of interest: real, apparent and potential.
The real conflict of interest occurs when officials may unduly influence the execution of their powers and responsibilities. The apparent classification is presented when there is an indication that the private interests of a public official may influence the performance of their obligations. "It is not proven that the functions performed by Hector Doporto Ramirez during the period considered, had any relation with intervention actions, authorization, or performance of any procurement contracting procedure by the IMSS."
The report also states that "Among the powers or functions of the alternate employer representation, performed by Mr. Hector Doporto Ramirez before the Technical Council of the IMSS or its Committees, none was found related to the possibility of intervening with any character in public contracts of general or specific acquisitions."
Report - http://peritaje-doporto.info
SOURCE Sergio Eduardo Huacuja Betancourt
News published on and distributed by:
