The investigative commission on the acquisition process of oceanic patrol vessels is preparing to delve deeper into the selection of the Spanish Cardama shipyard by the previous government But before that happens, crossovers between the ruling party and the opposition began to arise.
In the first sessions, different authorities, political and military, appeared to talk about the plans to purchase patrol boats by the Frente Amplio administrations prior to 2020. During this process, although there was some specific contact with Cardama and a trip to Spain, the Vigo shipyard was not among the companies that were surveyed.
Even progress towards purchasing patrol boats was little because the different Defense Ministers encountered the same impediment: lack of budget. For the opposition, this lack of resources actually has to do with the lack of political will to actually complete the purchase of the patrols.
With that chapter concluded, the commission is now preparing to enter the process that led to the direct purchase from Cardama during the government of Luis Lacalle Pou. The Broad Front wanted Jorge Wilson, commander in chief of the Navy, to appear this Monday when the purchase was finalized.
However, at the initiative of the National Party, this Monday’s session was suspended because the whites understand that there is a lack of information that the government has not yet sent.
“PWe lack information to be able to enter the next stage, which is from 2020.“, said white deputy Pablo Abdala to The Observer. One of the key points for the opposition is to access all exchanges between the Ministry of Defense and Cardama during the construction stage and also linked to the termination of the contract.
However, for the Broad Front, the information available is sufficient to begin addressing the shipyard selection process. “The missing information is linked to the termination of the contract. From the Frente Amplio bench we understand that the information to summon Wilson is“said Senator Nicolás Viera to The Observer.
Even from the FA they see this decision to postpone as a maneuver to delay the work of the commission and avoid entering into the issue that they consider most important. For Senator Eduardo Brenta, this even shows “the nervousness” that the opposition has to address this issue.
The request not to call a session for this Monday was from the president of the commission, the nationalist José Luis Falero, and the Frente Amplio agreed but proposed that Wilson appear next Monday.
“We see that there is a lot of nervousness apparently. We granted the National Party’s proposal but next Monday we start with Wilson. The central element here is the Cardama process,” Brenta said.
Asked why there would be “nervousness” in the opposition, Brenta pointed out against the arguments for not calling the session. “They claim concern about the lack of information. Everything from the Presidency and almost everything from the Ministry of National Defense has already arrived. There is no urgency nor any reason to be worried,” he said at a press conference.
What was left
Defense Minister Sandra Lazo reported on Friday that The Spanish company requested the Uruguayan government to remove from its shipyard what was built until now. By contract, all advances correspond to the national government.
In this framework, Lazo reported that the government is evaluating the possibilities to remove this material from the shipyard.
“There is no free lunch. Cardama invites the Uruguayan state to remove what is built from the patrols. The minister does not know what to do (where she is going to put it and, even less, how much it will cost us). The blows of the government’s irresponsibility. She slightly rescinded a contract that she should have preserved and enforced. Through a fragile termination resolution plagued by nullity,” Abdala wrote on her social networks.
