June 13, 2026 at – 01:00
The official IPS report contradicts the maneuver used to exclusively benefit the former legal director of the institution, José “José’i” González Maldonado, after the withdrawal of G. 3,281 million from the South American Hotel Consortium. During the session, one of the councilors demanded to specify the mechanism for collecting legal fees and costs; However, in the final resolution this warning was ignored and all of the funds ended up being transferred directly to González Maldonado’s private account, validating a suspicious triangulation.
“It is necessary to include in the resolution the issue of legal costs and fees of both parties, detailing the procedure for their payment,” the then counselor of the Social Security Institute (IPS)Víctor Insfrán, in the session of July 30, 2024. It was the exact moment in which the signing of the extrajudicial agreement with the Consorcio Hotelero Sudamericano SA, represented by Jorge Lopez Moreira.
At said meeting, the proposal of the aforementioned company to pay G. 7,500 million was approved, total debt of G. 10,781 million which corresponded to commitments accumulated until November 2018. 5% of professional fees for lawyers were added to this amount, but the warning from the former workers’ representative was completely ignored. Insfrán’s proposal even added the express suggestion of entrusting the Financial Administrative Management with the correct coordination of these disbursements.
Read more: IPS report reveals that Santiago Peña entered into the agreement with a millionaire reduction
“Collection agent”
Despite the demand of one of the members of the highest pension authority – as established by its own Organic Charter – the technical details were ignored in the final resolution. As a consequence, González Maldonado appeared as the exclusive beneficiary of the fees professionals, collecting the sum of G. 412,500,000.
The most serious thing is that this collection was carried out through a striking triangulation based solely on an internal note signed by the official María Graciela Cabral, in charge of González Maldonado himself, in which she literally requested the deposit of said figure in the personal account of the then legal director or in cash. That is to say, the Financial Administrative Management did not take the corresponding precautions as had been demanded by counselor Víctor Insfrán.
Read more: Prosecutor’s Office intimates the IPS for the secret report that affects Santiago Peña
The financial manager Gladys Verawho remains in office, limited himself to complying with the order and transferred the G. 412,500,000 to the private account of González Maldonado. This maneuver was completed immediately after the Consorcio Hotelero Sudamericano SA sent both the G. 7,500 million of the agreement and the G. 412,500,000 of fees to the official pension accounts. Far from accepting only the payment that was legitimately due to it, the IPS agreed to act as a private “collection agent” for the fees of its former director.
Lies to the CGR
The triangulation of the IPS exclusively benefited José González Maldonado, who even declared before the Comptroller General of the Republic (CGR) that those G. 412,500,000 constituted his exclusive income. However, he lied because, later, the former legal director made discretionary payments and in a completely arbitrary manner to the other professionals – although it is unknown how much or who received money – who had participated in the judicial claim against the Hotel Consortium.
Until now, the IPS still cannot explain why it endorsed and executed this questionable financial maneuver. However, when analyzing José “José’i” González’s own expressions before the Board of Directors, the framework takes on a strictly political meaning.
Read more: “We hit rock bottom” at IPS: Vallejo hopes that the criminal investigation goes to the end
González Maldonado revealed at the time that the agreement, which included a millionaire reduction to the detriment of pension fundshad the endorsement of the President of the Republic himself, Santiago Peña. He even revealed that to protect the pact “politically and legally”, the corresponding legal opinions were sent directly to the presidential economic advisor, Juan José Galeano.
Within the framework of the investigation for alleged illicit enrichment and breach of trust of González Maldonado, the Prosecutor’s Office has already formally notified the IPS authorities to send an authenticated copy of Minutes No. 054/2024, corresponding to that secret session of July 30, 2024.
