QCOSTARICA – Five major road works under the responsibility of the H. Solís company will continue in development despite investigations for alleged corruption involving the owners of the construction company and officials of the Consejo Nacional de Vialidad (Conavi) -National Highway Council, in the case known as Caso Cochinilla.
The five projects include the northern section of the Circunvalación, the expansion of the Ruta 1 (Interamericana Norte) between Barranca and Limonal, the building of two overpasses at the entrance to Cartago of three and four levels at the Taras and La Lima (awarded in January 2021, and La Angostura entrance to Puntarenas.
A spokesperson for the company H. Solís and the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation (MOPT) said the works will continue.
“The projects are still underway with total normality, let us remember that there are signed contracts that companies must comply with,” the MOPT’s press department reported this Tuesday.
In the same sense, Carlos Carmiol Rodríguez, spokesman for H. Solís, assured that the execution of the projects will continue normally.
“The company has a written commitment with the Government and the Costa Ricans that it will honor in the agreed times. All work will follow its planned rhythm,” he said.
On Monday, the Organismo de Investigacion Judicial (OIJ) deployed 57 raids in which 30 people were arrested, including businessmen and public officials.
On the list of those arrested are Mélida Solís Vargas, owner of H. Solís, as well as Carlos Cerdas Araya, of the MECO construction company. Also, managers and other officials of Conavi.
All of them are linked to alleged acts of corruption, bribery, influence peddling and fraud to the detriment of the State, related to contracts and the execution of road works.
The H. Solís company was awarded road contracts for US$495 million.
The company is also working on the designs of the intersection at the Monumento al Agua, which connects the Circunvalación with the General Cañas, as part of the so-called urgent works (OBIS) of the expansion of the highway between San José and San Ramón.
Works were expected to begin in the middle of the year.