After inconsistencies were detected between purchases reported by taxpayers and sales that the company declared to the tax authority, an investigation was initiated in Guatemala into the "La Barata" supermarket chain.
During the morning of December 7, representatives of the Public Ministry (MP) and the Superintendence of Tax Administration (SAT), held a press conference in which they explained some details about a new case of alleged tax fraud by the chain of stores "La Barata."
Guatemalan businessmen claim that their operations are being affected by delays up to three years in the tax refunds, when the established periods are 30 to 60 days.
Last week, the Public Prosecutor's Office announced the dismantling of a structure that facilitated refunds of the tax credits through means of illicit payments, operating both internally and externally in the Superintendency of Tax Administration.
Nearly $14 million may have been defrauded from the Guatemalan treasury by a group of people who, through using front companies, issued false invoices to simulate livestock purchases.
The Superintendency of Tax Administration (SAT) released a list of 150 companies that may be involved in a case of tax evasion through the creation of ´fronted' or fake entities.
With the decision of Congress not to remove immunity from President Morales, the Public Ministry and the Cicig have been prevented from continuing the investigation into irregular electoral financing.
As expected, the Guatemalan Congress decided to vote against the request for legal action filed by the Public Prosecutor to waive the immunity of Jimmy Morales.This means that the president is spared, at least for now, from being tried in the case of allegedillicit electoralfinancing.
Four petitions for pre trial hearings have already been lodged against President Morales, following his request to expel the leader of the International Commission against Impunity from Guatemala.
EDITORIAL
In less than a week a series of events took place which have left the country on tenterhooks.The Public Ministry and the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (Cicig) filed a petition for a pre trial hearing against President Morales for alleged illicit electoral financing; Morales declared the Commission of the Cicig, Iván Velásquez, persona non grata, and requested his expulsion from the country. In response to this, three other requests for preliminary hearings have been filed in the last few hours.
One year after taking control of the Quetzal Container Terminal, the Guatemalan Public Ministry has ordered the end of the intervention process into the company.
Elperiodico.com.gt reports that "...The courts´s ruling was issued on Thursday, April 15 after a year and a few days of validity of the measure for the TCQ, a company which in the opinion of the prosecutors office was constituted in 2012 as an emerging corporation "to simulate a contract of usufruct" with the state-owned Empresa Portuaria Quetzal (EPQ)."
A proposal has been made to create a special and temporary tax on assets above a certain amount in order to finance the operations of the Public Prosecutor against impunity and corruption in the state.
Ivan Velasquez, head of the International Commission against Impunity (CICIG), believes it is necessary to move on from "... discussing corruption to taking action", and therefore is proposing, together with the Public Ministry, the creation of a new tax to strengthen the institution's budget in the fight against impunity and corruption.
A network made up of businessmen and officials from the Guatemalan Social Security Institute, agreed purchase prices for medicines and a list of companies that were able to participate in the contracts.
The head of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), Ivan Velasquez, told a news conference that the now dismantled network consisted of "...
As part of a fraud investigation, the temporary closure has been ordered for ten stores belonging to Panama's Grupo Wisa, which operates in the Guatemalan airport under the La Riviera brand.
The order given by the public prosecutor of Guatemala is part of an open investigation for fraud and involves the temporary closure of ten branches and a warehouse belonging to the company Tiendas Libres de Guatemala S.A., known as La Riviera.
The Guatemalan president will stand trial on charges of conspiracy, bribery and special case of customs fraud.
Judge Miguel Angel Galvez issued an indictment against former President Otto Perez Molina, after analyzing the evidence presented by the prosecution and the International Commission against Impunity (CICIG).
".. In issuing his ruling the Judge of B Court for High Risk Cases, Miguel Angel Galvez, issued an order of remand, and the MP is asking for bail. "
The Constitutional Court has found that the evidence presented by the prosecution is enough to have Congress to decide whether or not to remove immunity from the president.
The decision to lift the immunity of President Perez Molina so that he may face corruption charges now lies with the legislature. The component members of The Inquiry Commission will have to investigate based on the evidence presented by prosecutors, and then make a plenary decision.
In the view of the private sector the decision taken by President Perez Molina to remain in his position contributes to the further deterioration of the country's image, at a time when the economy is showing signs of stability.
Just as the decision by the Public Ministry and the International Commission Against Impunity (CICIG) to conduct an investigation was applauded by the Guatemalan business sector, the president's decision to remain in office has not been well received and has caused deep concern, mainly because of the negative impact it has on the country as a destination for foreign investment.
The Public Ministry of Guatemala believes it is "likely" that President Otto Perez Molina was involved in the customs fraud network known as "La Línea" and has called for his impeachment in the Supreme Court.
The International Commission Against Impunity (CICIG) and the Public Prosecutor filed a request to lift the immunity of President Otto Perez Molina and to carry out a formal investigation based on the evidence which has been gathered.
Just on the hiring of private security services companies spend $243 million per year, on top of the payments made to those extorting transport carriers on the roads.
These unpunished crimes are not just affecting freight companies operating in the country, but are also increasingly reducing the possibility Guatemala has to attract more and better foreign investment which would contribute to its socioeconomic development.
Generators have reported energy theft, kidnapping from substations, staff being held hostage and looting of equipment and facilities.
Calling on the authorities and the Public Ministry to implement measures to combat insecurity and act against the "anti-projects" groups who are opposing the operation of power plants in various parts of the country, representatives from the sector reported that in the renewable energy category alone, these conflicting groups are holding up 12 projects in Huehuetenango, Alta Verapaz and Zacapa, with a total generating capacity of 355 megawatts.