The Chamber of Accounts has published findings of an audit of the management of the National Council for Children and Adolescents (Conani) from April to August 2020. The audit confirmed the suspected irregularities at Conani. The audit found millions were spent without supporting documents in disregard to the Public Procurement Law during the short administration of Greybby María Cuello Coste.
Cuello Coste was appointed to replace Kenia Lora Abreu who was sent to head the Institute of Integral Attention to Early Childhood (Inaipi) after major irregularities in procurement were denounced there by a supplier during the management of Berlinesa Franco. Franco has not been prosecuted.
Before her appointment to Conani, Cuello Coste had served as the director of events at the Administrative Ministry of the Presidency (Mapre) since September 2012, the start of the first government of former President Danilo Medina. In her Linkedin page she is mentioned as the director of events and community projects for the Presidency of the Republic.
On 9 April 2020, following the airing of a complaint by a supplier against the administration of Inaipi, then President Danilo Medina sent Kenia Lora to Inaipi and Greybby María Cuello Coste to Conani. This was just weeks before the election and the end of his government.
Cuello Coste has defended herself arguing that extraordinary actions were taken to be able to respond to the needs of children during the pandemic year of 2020. She also said the irregularities may date back to the actions of her predecessor, Kenia Lora.
Cuello Coste is also mentioned in the Coral 5G corruption case bearing prepared by the Anti-Corruption Prosecution Office (Pepca). She is the wife of General Juan Carlos Torres Robiou, who is being held in preventive detention for the Coral 5G corruption case. In the Coral 5G corruption case, prosecutors say that Cuello Coste would have implemented at Conani the same administrative corruption scheme that her husband had in place for the Specialized Tourism Security Corps (Cestur).
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Noticias SIN
21 April 2022