More data emerges from bribes paid by a US multinational in Argentina

multinational stericiclecollection and treatment of sanitary waste, confess in United State Who paid bribes in Argentina. But first, he made two decisions: fire the CEOs involved, quietly pack his bags in 2020 and leave the country. Now, if any forensic investigator searches for the company in Buenos Aires, they will find its name on an old label and a few other things. But three CEOs can find out Who collected bribesas it was reconstructed Nation.

Documents declassified Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Little data is available from the United States on criminal activities that occurred in Argentina. They can barely tell what happened Between 2012 and 2016who used the word “alfajores” as a euphemism for bribes and from Focus on district areas. But they did not mention names.

These documents, however, provide some clues. The first identifies the local Stericik as part of the criminal conspiracy: Environmental Habitat SA. The second speaks of illegal payments in the “provinces”, in the plural. Refers to Government-controlled hospitals and health facilities. and third, that one of the payers – who is known as “Executive 1” – was an Argentine executive whose responsibilities included Clinical Division for the local company.

Referring to “interrupts”, again, doesn’t help much either. Sterkid’s operations in Argentina – such as Habitat Ecologo and other related companies such as Medam BA SA and SOMA SASpread to multiple jurisdictions. Among other things, The provinces of Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Cordoba, Chaco, Entre Rios, Formosa, Salta and Santa Fe, and the city of Buenos Aires.

Documents in the US also make clear that CEO 1 was not the only one involved. Again, in the plural, they refer to the “employees and agents” who conspired with each other Complete bribes resulting in contracts yielding at least $4.4 million in profits to be obtained and retained to Stericic, a holding company with 15,000 employees and bills of $2.65 billion annually, according to data from the Wall Street Journal.

That the Argentine identified as “Executive 1” coordinated those illegal payments with two presidents, both Mexicans: one of whom is dependent on Miami and the other in Federal District of Mexico, who have been identified as “Executive 1 for Latin America” ​​and “Executive 2 for Latin America”. Both, according to evidence collected in the United States, also supervised Bribery payments in Mexico and Brazil.

The names of these Latin American CEOs remain in the shadows, even though they may be Luis Miguel Barbero and Abraham Cigarawho studied and worked in Mexico, with responsibilities with Stericik for the entire region during those years, until their departure. Nation Tried to contact them, but they did not respond to inquiries.

Other information: According to the official documents of the Ministry of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, and He authorized bribes “usually paid in cash”. How was the process? An employee of the company raised the amount of the bribe – “usually a percentage of the contract amount” – the leadership agreed to this account and payment, and the employee withdrew the money from the company’s office in Buenos Aires To hand it over to the corrupt official.

SEC example: In June 2012, the company was awarded a contract to deal with sanitary waste in a province, Bribery is set at 15% of the contractStericik’s leadership approved the amount, and “the money was handed over to the official in several different places.”

Example of the Department of Justice: In September of the same year, two employees from the company’s sales area crossed Email messages on a bribe to be paid to an official in exchange for 10% of the agreed contract amount in the amount of $213,000 (at that time approximately $45,610) with Provincial Ministry of Health Sanitary waste collection. It should be clarified that the percentage is the “tax deduction”. The bribe was paid on September 28 for 10%, i.e. $ 21,300 –about 4,560 dollars-, Cash.

Third example: pass the same or other employees in the sales area Email messages On May 30, 2013 for pending payments with the Provincial Ministry of Health for The suspended Alfajouris The last time – i.e. payable -, and they indicated that they expected to be delivered on the 17th or 18th of that month.

Fourth example, with other details: In September 2013, the same salesperson or others exchanged emails regarding the latest bribery, which occurred on August 30 of that year. The total was $257,730 – about $45,000 at the exchange rate in effect at the time – and After taxes, the Quimeros took 15% of the Alfajores.

over the past week, Nation Tried to contact Stericic at their site The parent company in the United States. Also in its only two subsidiaries that it maintains in Latin America – in Brazil and Puerto Rico– As well as in their offices for everyone Europe And in its subsidiary Spain. Three days after the first consultation, the multinational only sent a mail With a copy of the same press release he posted on his official website. But he did not respond to questions repeatedly asked by this medium.

In Argentina, the holding company formerly owned by Stericcic . has been renamed Waste treatment center, name under which it operates Habitat Ecológico BA, SOMA SA and Medam BA SA, which are telephone line-sharing companies. today, Gustavo Solari He is on top of that group. “I bought in July 2020, but apparently they forgot to inform us of all this when selling. They were very makanos”The businessman said to Nation. “They said something, in passing, about Brazil, nothing more. But as far as what happened in Argentina, nothing”, he insisted.

Separately, everyone who acquired a plant from the multinational company in Marcos Paz, Federico VardiginiYou mentioned something similar. “The multinational decided to leave in 2020 and bought the factory, without knowing anything about what happened before. In the process of “due vigilance” nothing jumped out and they didn’t say anything”The businessman said.

Fardighini, who presented himself as a “domestic small or medium businessman,” has now renamed the plant “SGA Environmental,” but Dealing with reputation damage to Stericik. “Customers and sellers call me and ask what happened, I have no idea! Like you just bought a house and later find out something that happened years ago with the previous owners.

Meanwhile, those who can tell what happened, remain silent. Among them, worldwide responsible for Stericecy. They advertise on their website that The process of “transforming” its board of directors began in 2017, when corruption investigations were opened. The following year, new CEOs arrived, such as Cindy Miller.

But in Argentina, however, nothing has been reported in this regard since 2017. Company records show that in the years in question, the heads of operations of Habitat Ecológico were in Argentina Claudio Armando Visorias chief; Roberto Eduardo Sampochettias treasurer and Gonzalo Mariano Agnesas general manager. Nation Tried reaching out to them via phone, LinkedIn, and email for a week, but they didn’t respond to queries.