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Over the weekend, it was revealed that Cyber Robotics Solutions , a company owned by León Bartlett , sold overpriced ventilators to the Mexican government amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
León Bartlett argued that the ventilators were sold at a reasonable price :
On May 3, journalist Carlos Loret de Mola revealed that a company owned by León Manuel Bartlett , the son of CFE director Manuel Barlett , was been awarded at least 7 government contracts for MXN $162 million.
According to Loret de Mola, León Manuel Bartlett Álvarez was recently awarded a contract for the purchase of ventilators for patients infected with COVID-19 but this was not the only contract, as Bartlett Álvarez’s company was also signed contracts with the army, the navy, and the ISSSTE.
On April 30, Cyber Robotics signed a contract with the ISSSTE for MXN $94.4 million, without a tender , to provide ultrasound equipment. Moreover, there are another two contracts awarded without a tender for MXN $275,000 and MXN $65,000.
Additionally, León Bartlett was awarded a Sedena contract, without a tender, for MXN $23.4 million and which entered into force on January 1.
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Cyber Robotics obtained another direct contract with the Mexican navy for MXN $4.9 million.
Furthermore, Bartlett’s company signed another two contracts with the IMSS for MXN $8.2 million and MXN $31 million. The MXN $31 million contract was signed on April 20, when the IMSS purchased ventilators for seriously ill patients infected with COVID-19.
After it was revealed that the ventilators were overpriced, President López Obrador said the case would be investigated.
However, Loret de Mola emphasized that there is no evidence of irregularities in the contracts awarded to the son of CFE director ; nevertheless, it is unusual that all the contracts were directly awarded to León Bartlett, not through a tender.
Irma Erédira Sandoval
, the Public Administration Minister , announced that on May 1, the authorities launched an investigation after the IMSS in Hidalgo purchased several ventilators from Cyber Robotics Solutions, a company owned by León Manuel Bartlett , the son of CFE director Manuel Bartlett .
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The Minister emphasized that the emergency purchases made by the Mexican government must be transparent.
Moreover, it was confirmed the Public Administration Ministry requested information from the IMSS this weekend and that Irma Eréndira Sandoval sent a document to IMSS Director Zoé Robledo , in order to have enough information to solve the case as soon as possible.
The Ministry said it will take legal action if it’s necessary and that in that case, it expects the Attorney General’s Office and the Attorney’s Office for the Fight Against Corruption to collaborate.
Manuel Bartlet was embroiled in an investigation last year when it was said that he failed to disclose his wealth but was exonerated by Irma Eréndira Sandoval.
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