Economist Sergio Lovera Cañete has resigned from his position as an advisor to the presidency of the Social Security Institute (IPS) and has accused the institution's president, Isaías Fretes, of failing to advance criminal complaints over alleged irregularities. Lovera stated that his departure was requested by Fretes following a disagreement over sending a document to the Public Prosecutor's Office.
The former advisor declared that one of the main points of conflict was the submission of Act No. 054/2024, from July 2024, which deals with an out-of-court settlement with Consorcio Hotelero Sudamericano SA. Lovera maintained that in the document, the then legal advisor José Antonio González Maldonado mentioned having spoken with the President of the Republic and shared an opinion with Juan José Galeano, the Presidency's economic advisor, to cover "political and legal aspects." For Lovera, this reference should be investigated.
He went further and accused Juan José Galeano of being the one who really runs the IPS, stating that Fretes lacks the autonomy to make changes. Lovera also said he detected an alleged patrimonial loss of approximately $50 million, involving an electrical substation, solar panels, and other assets, and criticized the lack of criminal complaints from the current administration.
In response, IPS President Isaías Fretes avoided commenting directly on Lovera's accusations, calling them "inconsistencies" and stating it was not worth commenting on someone who no longer belongs to the institution. However, Fretes announced that the IPS is filing its first criminal complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office, based on completed internal audits, and that there are another 30 cases under review that could result in new legal actions in the coming weeks.
Fretes attributed the institution's crisis to accumulated "administrative disorganization," which resulted in problems with medicine supply and a difficult financial situation, with a debt of about $500 million to the pharmaceutical industry.
Meanwhile, Senate President Basilio "Bachi" Núñez came to Fretes's defense, asking that he be given time to work and dismantle corruption structures. Núñez dismissed allegations of external interference in the IPS's management and stated that Fretes has the autonomy to perform his duties.
Fretes also confirmed the appointment of accounting sciences doctorate holder Carlos Pereira as an *ad honorem* advisor to the IPS presidency, joining a team of specialists working to resolve the crisis. He assured that he has already made changes in strategic areas, such as replacing the head of assets and the treasurer, but kept Gladys Vera as manager of Administration and Finance, considering her work satisfactory at the moment.