Last weekend, the president of the Central Electoral Court (JCE), Julio César Castaños Guzmán, said that the JCE is not the owner of the scanners and printers that were used in the 2016 general elections. A contractual clause indicates that the systems are owned by Indra Sistemas, the vendors, until these are fully paid by the JCE. The JCE is thus far refusing to pay an outstanding balance of US$13.9 million of the US$39 million total cost of the Indra Sistema scanners and printers, on grounds that the equipment was faulty, the training of poll workers by the company inadequate, and the equipment failed to fulfill its function for the 2016 election for which they were bought during the administration of JCE president Roberto Rosario.
Castaños Guzmán says the JCE is only the custodian of the equipment. He has said they are in conversations with representatives of the company to look for a solution over the payment impasse. The JCE is paying US$15,000 a month to warehouse the equipment as the impasse is resolved.
Castaños has said the deciding judges of the JCE have rejected the use of the equipment in the 2020 election.
The political parties PRD and PRSC suggested returning the equipment to Indra. The PRD, PRSC, PRM also suggest that a full-fledged investigation of the contract be carried out.
Read more in Spanish:
Diario Libre
Diario Libre
16 May 2018
