Dam 'not overvalued'

[NewsWhore]

Former director of the National Hydraulic Resources Institute (Indrhi) Hector Rodriguez Pimentel is insisting that the constriction costs for the Monte Grande dam were adjusted properly and that they fall in line with international standards. According to Rodriguez, the costs are not overvalued, as has been suggested by Lawyer Marino Vinicio "Vincho" Castillo, who heads the National Ethics Commission. Rodriguez claims that the contract to build the dam was given to Brazilian company Andrade Gutierrez before his tenure as director of Indrhi and that through a public bidding the cost would have been for a total of US$254 million, or US$16 million less than a previous offer. Rodriguez said that of the three companies that bid on the project (Norberto Odebrecht - Brazil, Impregilio-Italy), Andrade made the best offer. Diario Libre reports that, in fact, Indrhi's board of directors did not know the details of the bidding. Diario Libre once again quotes Castillo, who says that Congress had approved a line of financing through the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) for US$270 million, but that the bids by two Brazilian companies were for US$358 million and US$377 million. These are the first public comments by Rodriguez, who initially refused to comment on the issue.

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