La gran filtración
Cable sobre la victoria de Sacyr en el concurso del Canal
La embajada cree que el triunfo de la constructora marca la creciente influencia española sobre Panamá
| ID: | 215729 |
| Date: | 2009-07-08 19:20:00 |
| Origin: | 09PANAMA539 |
| Source: | Embassy Panama |
| Classification: | CONFIDENTIAL |
| Dunno: | 09PANAMA508 09PANAMA519 |
| Destination: | VZCZCXYZ0000 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHZP #0539 1891920 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 081920Z JUL 09 FM AMEMBASSY PANAMA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3561 INFO RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID IMMEDIATE 0337 RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC IMMEDIATE RULSDMK/DEPT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL IMMEDIATE RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE RHEHAAA/WHITE HOUSE WASHDC IMMEDIATE |
C O N F I D E N T I A L PANAMA 000539 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/09/2019 TAGS: ECON, ETRD, EWWT, PGOV, PM, PREL SUBJECT: SACYR WINS CANAL CONTRACT, SIGNALING BROADER SPANISH INFLUENCE REF: A. PANAMA 508 B. PANAMA 519 Classified By: AMBASSADOR BARBARA J. STEPHENSON FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) & ( d) 1. (C) In an elaborate ceremony attended by President Martinelli and most of the Cabinet, the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) announced that the consortium led by Spanish firm Sacyr had won the $3.2 billion contract to build the third set of locks, centerpiece of the once-in-a-century Canal Expansion project. This award marks an increased tide of Spanish influence in Panama. President Torrijos had established very close ties with the Spanish Royals, attending a ceremony in Madrid in his honor during devastating floods last November, during which Spain announced a gift of two helos to Panama. The Spanish government also established a regional crisis response center in Panama. In early June, President Martinelli visited the King of Spain, and the Spanish delegation at President Martinelli's inauguration, led by Prince Felipe, was very well received (ref A). We strongly suspect that the financially troubled Sacyr was able to offer a surprisingly low price due to backing from the Spanish government. 2. (C) Sacyr's win over consortia led by Bechtel and ACS (also from Spain) complicates our bilateral relationship on both political and economic levels. On the political level, the award casts an unwelcome spotlight on the Aleman family. Alberto Aleman Zubieta, the ACP Administrator, formerly served as General Manager of CUSA, Panama's largest construction company and a junior member of the Sacyr consortium. In the mid-1990's Alberto Aleman's cousin, Rogelio Aleman, succeeded him as the GM of CUSA (with Alberto reportedly selling his shares in the firm). Cousin Jaime Aleman, who provides legal representation to the winning consortium, is Martinelli's Ambassador-designate to the United States. In addition, Alberto's sister, Vicky, is the wife of a founding partner of Jaime's law firm. 3. (C ) As expected, Sacyr offered the lowest price, $3.2 billion, versus $4.3 billion for Bechtel and nearly $6.0 billion for ACS. A Bechtel representative noted that the concrete cannot even be poured at Sacyr's price, and that ACS' price indicated that they did not want to win. More shocking was Sacyr's commanding win in technical points - 4089, versus 3790 for Bechtel and 3974 for ACS. An earlier press leak by a member of the Sacyr consortium that it had achieved the highest technical score (ref B) - despite expectations to the contrary - could cause Bechtel to question the confidentiality of the process. A representative of Bechtel's partner, Mitsubishi, told Ambassador that they would fight the award. Embassy will consult with Bechtel and further report on the award of this contract and next steps. STEPHENSON |
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